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SpaceX launches first Starlink mission of 2023 after eight delays

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A Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched SpaceX’s Starlink 2-4 mission after seven delays pushed it from November 2022 to January 2023.

Starlink 2-4 was originally scheduled to launch as early as November 18th, 2022, but was delayed shortly after its Falcon 9 rocket conducted a static fire test. The delay was indefinite, and that specific rocket ultimately launched a different commercial payload in late December. The internet satellite launch was finally rescheduled for January 9th, 2023, kicking off a string of additional delays. Weather delayed the January 9th attempt. Issues with Falcon 9’s second stage delayed the January 10th attempt. Additional “pre-launch checkouts” delayed the launch from January 11th to the 14th, which was then pushed to January 15th for “constellation optimization.

Poor weather delayed Starlink 2-4 from January 15th to January 18th, and SpaceX eventually delayed the mission to January 19th without explanation. On January 19th, SpaceX even delayed Starlink 2-4 an eighth time, from 7:23 am PST to 7:43 am PST. But at long last, Starlink 2-4 did, in fact, lift off at 7:43 am PST, ending the longest streak of delays experienced by SpaceX in several years.

In a rare twist, the first delay caused SpaceX to shuffle booster assignments, and Starlink 2-4 wound up with B1075. B1075 had never flown before, making Starlink 2-4 the second Starlink mission that has debuted a new Falcon booster. Ordinarily, SpaceX has always reserved new boosters – of which only a handful are built annually – for its more conservative customers. The US military in particular was slow to warm up to the idea of flying operational “national security” payloads on reused Falcon boosters, and often required (and paid for) new boosters whenever possible.

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But even that wall mostly crumbled in 2022. SpaceX debuting another new Falcon 9 booster on its own low-priority Starlink mission is perhaps the best evidence of that. NASA and the US military have simply come to trust SpaceX’s flight-proven Falcon boosters, and no longer feel the need to reserve every new Falcon 9.

Falcon 9 booster B1075 ultimately aced its orbital-class launch debut and touched down on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) about nine minutes after liftoff. Assuming the seas are calm enough for B1075 to survive the return to Port of Long Beach, it likely has a long life of 15+ launches ahead of it. The Falcon upper stage launched by B1075 eventually reached low Earth orbit (LEO) and deployed another 51 Starlink V1.5 satellites about 30 minutes after liftoff. Starlink 2-4 should leave SpaceX with almost 3400 working Starlink satellites in orbit.

OCISLY gets an upgrade

B1075’s landing also revealed upgrades SpaceX has made to drone ship OCISLY since it was last used in October 2022. Harry Stranger first discovered the changes with satellite imagery, which revealed that SpaceX was upgrading OCISLY’s rectangular with angular ‘wings’. The wings appear to be identical to those installed on SpaceX’s newest drone ship, A Shortfall of Gravitas. ASOG debuted in mid-2021 with a number of upgrades not present on SpaceX’s two other drone ships. Most were intended to improve the ship’s resiliency, availability, and autonomy.

Drone ship ASOG is pictured in June 2022 with Falcon 9 booster B1060. (Richard Angle)

According to photographer Jerry Pike, the angular wings on ASOG (and now OCISLY) could make the drone ship much easier to tow. Reducing drag could also increase the effectiveness of their existing propulsion systems, potentially allowing them to maintain their position in harsher sea conditions and stronger currents than before. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that the ultimate goal is a fully-autonomous drone ship capable of heading to sea, recovering Falcon boosters, and returning to port without human intervention.

There is no evidence that SpaceX is any closer to that goal since ASOG’s debut 16 months ago. Nonetheless, OCISLY’s upgrades should improve the drone ship’s usability as SpaceX attempts to launch (and land) up to 100 rockets in 2023.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city, and although the company has revealed plans to launch in six new metros this year, it has yet to establish a new location outside of Austin and the Bay Area of California, where it has operated since last Summer.

A lot full of Model Y vehicles was spotted in Henderson, a town just north of Las Vegas, but there seems to be more than just this hint indicating that the Sin City will be the next location to offer potentially driverless rides in a Tesla using its Full Self-Driving suite.

These Model Ys are not your typical vehicles, as they are fitted with hardware that is only on Robotaxis: a rear camera washer is the dead giveaway:

The photos and video of the lot were taken by TheZacher on X, who spotted the Model Y fleet in the Henderson parking lot.

The rear camera washer is the main piece of evidence here that indicates Tesla could be looking to expand Robotaxi to Las Vegas, a major ride-hailing hot spot, as it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States. Ride-sharing is a major industry in Vegas, especially for those who are staying off the Strip.

Tesla has also been extremely transparent that Vegas is on its radar for the Robotaxi fleet, as it revealed last year that it was one of five new U.S. cities that it planned to launch the ride-hailing service in this year.

Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.

The others were Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

It will also give Tesla a new benchmark against rival company Waymo, which has operated in Las Vegas for some time.

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Tesla Roadster gets new unveiling date once again

Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.

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A red Tesla Roadster driving around a turn
(Credit: Tesla)

The Tesla Roadster is perhaps the most anticipated vehicle in the company’s history, but those who have been waiting anxiously for it will have to push their timelines back once again.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the company is once again pushing back the unveiling event that was originally planned for April 1. It will now take place “probably in late April.”

Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.

There has been so much hype about the Roadster that people are right to be excited about the prospect of its existence.

Musk’s most recent rumblings about the vehicle came last Fall, when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he once again hinted the car would be able to hover for a short period.

He said:

Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”

Additionally, he said the vehicle would not be something that would prioritize safety. Musk said that “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.” It’s made for speed and excitement, not for grocery-getting.

Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster

As the April 1 unveiling event that was originally planned was nearing without any communication to fans, media, or anyone who would potentially be in attendance, it seemed to be pretty obvious that Tesla was not ready to pull the trigger on the event quite yet.

There could be some last-minute things to finalize, or it could be something else. One thing is for certain, though: we are not super surprised that things were moved back.

Tesla has definitely been putting some things in motion for the Roadster. A few months back, Tesla started to ramp up hiring for the Roadster, and earlier in March, it submitted a patent application for a new seat design.

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Tesla named by U.S. Gov. in $4.3B battery deal for American-made cells

What began as an open secret in the energy industry was confirmed by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday: Tesla is the buyer behind LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.

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What began as an open secret in the energy industry is becoming more real after the U.S. Department of the Interior named Tesla as the stakeholder in the LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.

Tesla and LG Energy Solution are expanding their partnership to build a LFP prismatic battery cell manufacturing facility in Lansing, Michigan, launching production in 2027. The announcement, made as part of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Summit results, ends months of speculation.

“American-made cells will power Tesla’s Megapack 3 energy storage systems produced in Houston, creating a robust domestic battery supply chain.”, notes a press release on the U.S. Department of the Interior website.

Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory

Tesla has long utilized China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), the world’s largest LFP battery maker, as one of its primary suppliers. That relationship made financial sense for years, considering that Chinese LFP cells were cheap, abundant, and reliable. But with escalated tariffs on Chinese imports and an increasingly growing Tesla Energy business that’s particularly reliant on LFP cells for products including its Megapack battery storage units designed for utilities and large-scale commercial projects.

The announcement of a deepened partnership between LG Energy Solution and Tesla has strategic logic for both parties. For Tesla, it secures a tariff-compliant, domestically produced battery supply for its fast-growing energy division. LGES, now producing LFP batteries in Michigan, becomes the only major supplier currently scaling U.S. production, outpacing rivals like Samsung SDI and SK On. LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site, with a production capacity of 50 GWh per year. LG Energy said the contract includes options to extend the supply period by up to seven years and boost volumes based on further consultations.

For the broader industry, the ripple effects are significant. This deal signals that domestic battery manufacturing can be financially viable and not just aspirational. Utilities, energy developers, and rival automakers will take note as American-made LFP supply becomes a competitive reality rather than a distant promise.

For consumers, the benefits will take time but are real. A more resilient, U.S.-based supply chain means fewer price shocks from trade disputes, more stable Megapack availability for the grid storage projects that reduce electricity costs, and long-term downward pressure on energy storage prices as domestic production scales.

Deliveries are set to begin in 2027 and run through mid-2030, and as grid storage demand accelerates, reliable, US-made battery supply is no longer a future ambition. It is becoming a core requirement of the country’s energy strategy.

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