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SpaceX is halfway done building the world’s largest rocket booster
New photos of the SpaceX Starship program’s first Super Heavy confirm that the booster prototype – known as Booster Number 1 (BN1) and set to become the largest rocket booster ever built – is already halfway complete.
Set to be the world’s tallest, heaviest, and most powerful liquid rocket booster ever built, Super Heavy is expected to measure some 70 meters (~230 ft) tip to tail, weigh ~3700 metric tons fully fueled, and produce around 7500 metric tons (16.5 million lbf) of thrust at liftoff. Starship, the reusable upper stage and spacecraft SpaceX is busy prototyping and testing, is 40% shorter than Super Heavy and features less than a quarter as many Raptor engines, producing thrust roughly equivalent to Falcon 9’s first stage.
Super Heavy will be equivalent to almost ten Falcon 9s at full thrust and outclass every rocket ever built. However, the basic design of the booster is effectively the same as any other liquid-fueled rocket, opting for a tall and thin Falcon-style cylinder with a high aspect ratio and no exterior coating – just bare metal.
Super Heavy’s airframe is made up of two main propellant tanks joined by a “common dome” and capped at both ends with an interstage (the structure that mates the booster to Starship) and engine/skirt section (encloses the thrust dome, supports landing legs, and houses umbilical ports).
While Super Heavy is dramatically different from Starship by almost any measure, SpaceX has ensured that hardware commonality is as extensive as possible. Ultimately, with minor tweaks, that means that SpaceX can (in theory) build Super Heavy with the exact same tools and techniques it’s used to churn out Starship prototypes.
As of the end of this month, a flurry of public photos from local (and visiting) photographers have confirmed that Super Heavy booster BN1 is effectively halfway to completion and currently stands 18 steel rings tall. Aside from booster-specific layout changes, that 33-meter-tall (~105 ft) barrel section is virtually identical to a Starship’s 20-ring barrel section, lacking only conical nose section that caps them off.
The 18-ring stack also guarantees that the current assembly is Super Heavy BN1’s liquid oxygen (LOx) tank and confirms that like ITS, BFR, Falcon 9, and other SpaceX rockets, Super Heavy’s LOx tank will sit above its fuel (methane) tank. Likely either 38 or 39 rings tall overall, it also indicates that BN1 is a ring away from half of its full height, leaving the integration of its strengthened methane tank, custom engine section, and skirt as the last major tasks standing between SpaceX and its first Super Heavy prototype.
According to Elon Musk, SpaceX will likely hop BN1 if or when it passes initial cryogenic proof and static fire testing. If that goes according to plan, it’s unclear if BN1 can be converted for two-stage Starship launch attempts or if SpaceX will simply move on to BN2 (already under construction).
Elon Musk
Tesla China posts strong February wholesale growth at Gigafactory Shanghai
The update was shared by Tesla observers on social media platform X, citing monthly China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
Tesla China sold 58,599 vehicles wholesale in February, reflecting strong year-over-year growth. The figure includes both domestic deliveries in China and vehicles exported to international markets.
The update was shared by Tesla observers on social media platform X, citing monthly China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
Tesla’s February wholesale result represents a 91% increase year over year, compared with 30,688 vehicles in February 2025. Month over month, the result was down 15.2% from January, when Tesla China recorded 69,129 wholesale units.
The February total reflects combined sales of the Model 3 and Model Y produced at Gigafactory Shanghai. The facility produces the two vehicles for both domestic sales and exports.
Gigafactory Shanghai continues to serve as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub, supplying vehicles to markets across Asia and Europe. Data compiled by Tesla watchers shows that 18,485 vehicles were sold domestically in China in January 2026, while exports accounted for 50,644 units during the same period.
Tesla has also been extending financing programs in China as it pushes to strengthen domestic demand. The company recently extended its seven-year ultra-low-interest and five-year interest-free financing programs through March 31, marking the second extension of the promotion this year.
The financing initiative was first introduced on January 6 as a strategy aimed at offsetting higher ownership costs ahead of China’s planned 5% NEV purchase tax in 2026. The promotion was originally scheduled to expire at the end of January before being extended to February and then again through the end of the first quarter.
Tesla’s efforts come amid growing competition in China’s EV market. According to data compiled by CNEV Post, Tesla’s 2025 retail sales in China reached 625,698 vehicles, representing a 4.78% year-over-year decline. Part of that decline was linked to the Model Y changeover to its updated variant in early 2025, which temporarily reduced deliveries during the transition period.
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Tesla Model Y L spotted on transport trucks in Australia
One of the sightings was reported along Victoria Parade in Melbourne, and it showed multiple Model Y L vehicles on a transport carrier.
Tesla’s upcoming Model Y L has been spotted on transport trucks in Australia. Sightings of the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y variant have been reported on social media platform X by members of the Australian Tesla community.
One of the sightings was reported along Victoria Parade in Melbourne, and it showed multiple Model Y L vehicles on a transport carrier.
The sighting follows earlier observations by Tesla enthusiasts in Sydney, where a covered vehicle believed to be a Model Y L was spotted at a Supercharger.
The Sydney sighting drew attention after observers noted that the vehicle’s tare weight appeared to match the ADR approval listing for the Model Y L, suggesting it could indeed be the extended wheelbase variant of the electric SUV.
Tesla has previously confirmed that the Model Y L will launch in Australia and New Zealand in 2026. The confirmation was reported by techAU following a media release from Tesla Australia and New Zealand.
The Model Y L expands the existing Model Y lineup with seating for six passengers. The vehicle features a longer body compared with the standard Model Y in order to accommodate a spacious second and third row.
Tesla has opted for a 2-2-2 seating configuration instead of a traditional seven-seat layout for the Model Y L. The design includes two individual seats in the middle row to provide easier access to the third row and additional passenger space.
Tesla Australia and New Zealand has also stated that the Model Y L will be covered under the company’s updated warranty structure beginning in 2026.
Tesla has not yet announced pricing or official range figures for the Model Y L in Australia.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares timeframe for X Money early public access rollout
X Money is expected to enable financial transactions within the app, expanding the platform’s capabilities beyond social media features.
Elon Musk has stated that X Money, the digital payments system being developed for social media platform X, is expected to enter early public access next month.
The update was shared by Musk in a post on X. “𝕏 Money early public access will launch next month,” Musk wrote in his post.
As noted in a Reuters report, X Money is being developed as a digital payment service that’s directly integrated into the X platform.
The system is expected to enable financial transactions within the app, expanding the platform’s capabilities beyond social media features.
Musk has previously discussed plans to introduce payments and financial services as part of X’s broader development.
Since acquiring the platform in 2022, Musk has discussed expanding X to include a range of services such as messaging, media, and financial tools.
Elon Musk has shared his goal of transforming X into an “everything app.” During a previous podcast interview with members of the Tesla community, Musk mused about turning X into something similar to China’s WeChat, which allows users to shop, pay, communicate, and perform a variety of other tasks.
“In China, you do everything in WeChat… it’s kickass… Outside of China, there’s nothing like it, people live on one app. My idea would be like how about if we just copy WeChat,” Musk joked at the time.
To prepare for the rollout of X Money, X has partnered with payment company Visa to support the development of payment services for the platform’s users. The move could allow X to tap into the growing demand for digital and in-app financial transactions as the company builds additional services around its existing user base.
Tesla China posts strong February wholesale growth at Gigafactory Shanghai
Tesla Model Y L spotted on transport trucks in Australia
