News
SpaceX’s first high-altitude Starship prototype just “passed cryo proof” testing
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the first high-altitude Starship prototype – known as SN8 – just “passed cryo proof” testing in South Texas, potentially setting the ship up for a ~15 km (9.5 mile) flight test in the near future.
Meanwhile, NASA astronaut Bob Hines recently overflew SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas Starship factory with several compatriots, offering an excellent aerial view of the company’s bustling facilities in the midst of Starship SN8’s critical cryo proof test campaign.
Hines managed to catch the Moon alongside one of the T-38 trainer jets NASA astronauts routinely use for training and travel, serving as a reminder that SpaceX won $135 million to build a Lunar Starship that might someday return humans to Earth’s lone companion. Likely with or without NASA’s involvement, the Starship prototype production and test program SpaceX is deep in the midst of will directly determine if and when the company visits – and lands on – the Moon and Mars.
Over the last three days, SpaceX has gradually put Starship SN8 – the first prototype meant for high-altitude flight testing – through its paces, beginning with a seemingly aborted “cryo proof” test on October 5/6. During the first attempt, SpaceX appeared to pressurize the rocket tank section with cold nitrogen gas and perhaps a small volume of liquid nitrogen before reopening the highway. Starship SN8 also actuated its large aft flaps under its own power for the first time on October 4th and SpaceX has performed several more actuation tests in the days since.
24 hours later, SpaceX tried again, this time successfully loading Starship SN8’s liquid oxygen and methane propellant tanks with perhaps a thousand metric tons (2.2 million pounds) of liquid nitrogen – used to simulate the ultra-cold temperatures of cryogenic propellant without the risk of a catastrophic fire or explosion. After cryo load, SpaceX reportedly attempted to pressurize the rocket’s tanks to their limits but the test was stopped somewhat short when Starship SN8 sprung “a small leak…near the engine mounts” after reaching pressures of 7 bar (~100 psi).
Precisely as Musk predicted, SpaceX apparently managed to fix the minor leak in less than 24 hours and began the third round of Starship SN8 cryo proof testing late on October 7th. Once again, the rocket was fully loaded with liquid nitrogen and spent some 2-3 hours under cryogenic stress as SpaceX likely stress the thrust structure (“thrust puck”) by simulating the thrust of Raptor engines with hydraulic rams. Nothing out of the ordinary happened and Musk has yet to comment on the test, suggesting that things went largely as planned.
Intriguingly, SpaceX then geared up for a fourth night of cryogenic testing on October 8/9. It’s not entirely surprising that the company would want to test the first Starship built primarily with a new steel alloy as thoroughly as possible. If SN8’s fourth night of testing produces satisfactory results and SpaceX is less than concerned with the leak discovered during the second round of testing, the company could be ready to install three engines and attempt the first multi-Raptor static fire test ever.
Update: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that Starship SN8 “passed cryo proof” testing, most likely setting the rocket up for the first triple-Raptor static fire test ever attempted. If SN8 passes static fire testing, it will most likely be outfitted with a nosecone and forward flaps and attempt another three-engine static fire using smaller ‘header’ propellant tanks, ultimately preparing it to support the first high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype if all goes according to plan.
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk hints Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily
“Hold onto your Tesla stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet,” Musk said.
Elon Musk recently hinted that he believes Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily if they continue to hold onto their shares, and he reiterated that in a new interview that the company released on its social accounts this week.
Musk is one of the most successful CEOs in the modern era and has mammothed competitors on the Forbes Net Worth List over the past year as his holdings in his various companies have continued to swell.
Tesla investors, especially those who have been holding shares for several years, have also felt substantial gains in their portfolios. Over the past five years, the stock is up over 78 percent. Since February 2019, nearly seven years ago to the day, the stock is up over 1,800 percent.
Musk said in the interview:
“Hold onto your Tesla stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet.”
Elon Musk in new interview: “Hold on to your $TSLA stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet.” pic.twitter.com/cucirBuhq0
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 26, 2026
It’s no secret Musk has been extremely bullish on his own companies, but Tesla in particular, because it is publicly traded.
However, the company has so many amazing projects that have an opportunity to revolutionize their respective industries. There is certainly a path to major growth on Wall Street for Tesla through its various future projects, including Optimus, Cybercab, Semi, and Unsupervised FSD.
- Optimus (Tesla’s humanoid robot): Musk has discussed its potential for tasks like childcare, walking dogs, or assisting elderly parents, positioning it as a massive long-term driver of company value.
- Cybercab (Tesla’s robotaxi/autonomous ride-hailing vehicle): a fully autonomous vehicle geared specifically for Tesla’s ride-sharing ambitions.
- Semi (Tesla’s electric truck, with mentions of expansion, like in Europe): brings Tesla into the commercial logistics sector.
- Unsupervised FSD (Full Self-Driving software achieving full autonomy without human supervision): turns every Tesla owner’s vehicle into a fully-autonomous vehicle upon release
These projects specifically are some of the highest-growth pillars Tesla has ever attempted to develop, especially in Musk’s eyes, as he has said Optimus will be the best-selling product of all-time.
Many analysts agree, but the bullish ones, like Cathie Wood of ARK Invest, are perhaps the one who believes Tesla has incredible potential on Wall Street, predicting a $2,600 price target for 2030, but this is not even including Optimus.
She told Bloomberg last March that she believes that the project will present a potential additive if Tesla can scale faster than anticipated.
Cybertruck
Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes
According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:
Tesla’s new Cybertruck offering has had its delivery date pushed back once again. This is now the second time, and deliveries for the newest orders are now pushed well into 2027.
According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:
🚨 Tesla has updated the $59,990 Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD’s estimated delivery date to April 2027.
First deliveries are still slated for June, but if you order it now, you’ll be waiting over a year.
Demand appears to be off the charts for the new Cybertruck and consumers are… pic.twitter.com/raDCCeC0zP
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
Just three days ago, the initial delivery date of June 2026 was pushed back to early Fall, and now, that date has officially moved to April 2027.
The fact that Tesla has had to push back deliveries once again proves one of two things: either Tesla has slow production plans for the new Cybertruck trim, or demand is off the charts.
Judging by how Tesla is already planning to raise the price based on demand in just a few days, it seems like the company knows it is giving a tremendous deal on this spec of Cybertruck, and units are moving quickly.
That points more toward demand and not necessarily to slower production plans, but it is not confirmed.
Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim will undergo massive change in ten days, Musk says
Tesla is set to hike the price on March 1, so tomorrow will be the final day to grab the new Cybertruck trim for just $59,990.
It features:
- Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
- Powered tonneau cover
- Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
- Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
- Heated first-row seats w/ textile material that is easy to clean
- Steer-by-wire & Four Wheel Steering
- 6’ x 4’ composite bed
- Towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs
- Powered frunk
Interestingly, the price offering is fairly close to what Tesla unveiled back in late 2019.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt
Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.
Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.
Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.
“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.
In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms.
“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified.
His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.
SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable.
Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight.
The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Elon Musk hints Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily
Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes
