Connect with us

News

Watch SpaceX's first Starlink internet satellite launch of the 2020s

SpaceX is set for its first launch of the 2020s. (Teslarati - SpaceX)

Published

on

SpaceX is less than five hours away from kicking off a jam-packed year of rocket launches and landings, a Starlink internet satellite launch that will be both SpaceX and the world’s first orbital launch of the new decade.

The company’s second operational Starlink mission – Starlink V1 L2 – is scheduled to launch no earlier than (NET) Monday, January 6th at 9:19 pm EST (02:19 UTC, Jan 7) from Space Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS).

The third dedicated launch of Starlink satellites and the second featuring fully finalized ‘v1.0’ spacecraft, Starlink-2 will send another 60 internet satellites to orbit, where they will fire up their own electric thrusters to reach their final orbits. Along with marking the very first launch of the year, SpaceX is also setting up for a few notable rocket recovery milestones.

The Falcon 9 booster, B1049, supporting Monday’s Starlink mission is a seasoned booster with three successful launches and landings already under its belt. It was last flown and landed when it sent the first batch of operational Starlink satellites to orbit in May of 2019. Prior to that, it supported the Telstar-18V satellite launch in September of 2018 as well as the west coast launch of the Iridium-8 satellite in January of 2019.

Once B1049 successfully delivers the next 60 Starlink satellites and returns for a recovery landing aboard the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” approximately 621km downrange from the launch location it will become the second Block 5 Falcon 9 booster to have flown and landed a record 4 times.

Advertisement
-->

The booster, however, is not the only piece of spaceflight hardware that is planned to be recovered. SpaceX has deployed recovery vessels GO Ms. Tree and GO Navigator to the recovery zone some 732km downrange of the launch location off the coast of the Carolina’s to hopefully recover both halves of the protective fairing that encapsulates the Starlink satellites during ascent.

A previous recovery attempt during the most recent Starlink mission in November of 2019 was called off due to rough seas and bad weather at the recovery zone, resulting in minor damage to both Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief.

With a healthy static fire of all nine Merlin-1D engines occurring Saturday, January 4th ahead of launch, the B1049 Falcon 9 is ready to go to work. The 45th Space Wing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station expects the weather to provide stellar conditions for Monday’s launch attempt with only a 10% chance of violating weather constraints. Teslarati’s photographer, Richard Angle will be on-site to photograph the expected spectacular night-time launch. SpaceX will begin a livestream of the launch approximately 15 minutes prior at 9:05 p.m. EST.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

Advertisement
-->

Space Reporter.

Advertisement
Comments

Cybertruck

Tesla updates Cybertruck owners about key Powershare feature

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.

Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.

Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.

However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.

Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.

However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:

“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026. 

This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.

Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.

Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:

He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”

It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla’s northernmost Supercharger in North America opens

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has opened its northernmost Supercharger in Fairbanks, Alaska, with eight V4 stalls located in one of the most frigid cities in the U.S.

Located just 196 miles from the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks’s average temperature for the week was around -12 degrees Fahrenheit. However, there are plenty of Tesla owners in Alaska who have been waiting for more charging options out in public.

There are only 36 total Supercharger stalls in Alaska, despite being the largest state in the U.S.

Eight Superchargers were added to Fairbanks, which will eventually be a 48-stall station. Tesla announced its activation today:

The base price per kWh is $0.43 at the Fairbanks Supercharger. Thanks to its V4 capabilities, it can charge at speeds up to 325 kW.

Despite being the northernmost Supercharger in North America, it is not even in the Top 5 northernmost Superchargers globally, because Alaska is south of Norway. The northernmost Supercharger is in Honningsvåg, Norway. All of the Top 5 are in the Scandanavian country.

Tesla’s Supercharger expansion in 2025 has been impressive, and although it experienced some early-quarter slowdowns due to V3-to-V4 hardware transitions, it has been the company’s strongest year for deployments.

Through the three quarters of 2025, the company has added 7,753 stations and 73,817 stalls across the world, a 16 percent increase in stations and an 18 percent increase in stalls compared to last year.

Tesla is on track to add over 12,000 stalls for the full year, achieving an average of one new stall every hour, an impressive statistic.

Recently, the company wrapped up construction at its Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, a 168-stall Supercharger that Tesla Solar Panels completely power. It is the largest Supercharger in the world.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla shocks with latest Robotaxi testing move

Why Tesla has chosen to use a couple of Model S units must have a reason; the company is calculated in its engineering and data collection efforts, so this is definitely more than “we just felt like giving our drivers a change of scenery.”

Published

on

Credit: Sawyer Merritt | X

Tesla Model S vehicles were spotted performing validation testing with LiDAR rigs in California today, a pretty big switch-up compared to what we are used to seeing on the roads.

Tesla utilizes the Model Y crossover for its Robotaxi fleet. It is adequately sized, the most popular vehicle in its lineup, and is suitable for a wide variety of applications. It provides enough luxury for a single rider, but enough room for several passengers, if needed.

However, the testing has seemingly expanded to one of Tesla’s premium flagship offerings, as the Model S was spotted with the validation equipment that is seen entirely with Model Y vehicles. We have written several articles on Robotaxi testing mules being spotted across the United States, but this is a first:

Why Tesla has chosen to use a couple of Model S units must have a reason; the company is calculated in its engineering and data collection efforts, so this is definitely more than “we just felt like giving our drivers a change of scenery.”

It seems to hint that Tesla could add a premium, more luxury offering to its Robotaxi platform eventually. Think about it: Uber has Uber Black, Lyft has Lyft Black. These vehicles and services are associated with a more premium cost as they combine luxury models with more catered transportation options.

Tesla could be testing the waters here, and it could be thinking of adding the Model S to its fleet of ride-hailing vehicles.

Reluctant to remove the Model S from its production plans completely despite its low volume contributions to the overall mission of transitioning the world to sustainable energy, the flagship sedan has always meant something. CEO Elon Musk referred to it, along with its sibling Model X, as continuing on production lines due to “sentimental reasons.”

However, its purpose might have been expanded to justify keeping it around, and why not? It is a cozy, premium offering, and it would be great for those who want a little more luxury and are willing to pay a few extra dollars.

Of course, none of this is even close to confirmed. However, it is reasonable to speculate that the Model S could be a potential addition to the Robotaxi fleet. It’s capable of all the same things the Model Y is, but with more luxuriousness, and it could be the perfect addition to the futuristic fleet.

Continue Reading