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SpaceX’s first Jupiter launch a step closer as NASA begins assembling ‘Europa Clipper’

An array of Europa Clipper hardware is currently in work as JPL kicks off spacecraft assembly. (NASA/JPL)

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NASA says that the assembly of Europa Clipper has begun at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Southern California.

Europa Clipper is an interplanetary spacecraft developed by NASA to observe Europa, a large moon of Jupiter, over the course of a series of flybys while orbiting the gas giant. The Clipper’s primary goal is to determine whether Europa hosts conditions suitable for life in an immense liquid water ocean that lies under its icy surface. NASA has selected SpaceX to launch the ~$4.25 billion spacecraft to Jupiter in 2024 on its Falcon Heavy rocket – a contract SpaceX effectively beat out NASA’s own Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to win.

The engineering components and science instruments that make up the spacecraft’s flight hardware began development in 2016 and are expected to be completed by the end of 2022. These components come from across the United States and Europe and will be assembled at JPL. The main body of the spacecraft is a 10-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) cylindrical propulsion module. Fitted with electronics, radios, cables, and the spacecraft’s propulsion systems, it will ship to JPL this spring. Europa Clipper’s 10-foot-wide (3-meter-wide) high-gain antenna is expected to follow not long after.

The first instrument to arrive at JPL was the Europa-UVS, an ultraviolet spectrograph that was assembled in San Antonio, Texas. Europa-UVS will search above the surface of Europa for signs of plumes. The instrument collects ultraviolet light, then separates the wavelengths of that light to help determine the composition of the moon’s surface and gases in the atmosphere.

As components of the spacecraft arrive, they will be integrated together and re-tested. Engineers need to be sure the instruments can communicate with the flight computer, spacecraft software, and power subsystems.

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“Once all the components have been integrated to form the large flight system, Europa Clipper will move to JPL’s enormous thermal vacuum chamber for testing that simulates the harsh environment of deep space. There also will be intense vibration testing to ensure Europa Clipper can withstand the jostling of launch. Then it’s off to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for an October 2024 launch.”

NASA – March 3rd, 2022

According to NASA, “when it’s fully assembled, Europa Clipper will be as large as an SUV [and have] solar arrays long enough to span a basketball court – all the better to help power the spacecraft during its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.”

Previous imagery has already provided scientists with certainty that Europa’s surface is made up of mostly water ice. Additionally, other data about the moon’s physical characteristics have engendered great confidence that beneath or within some of that 15-mile-thick ice lies pockets of liquid water that could go thousands of years between re-freezing events. Those water pockets could potentially be habitable and even contain microbial life that Europa Clipper could detect.

The icy crust of Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, Europa, may hold pockets of liquid water that could support life.

Some scientists like Monica Grady, Chancellor at Liverpool Hope University, believe it is almost certain that Europa is harboring life. “When it comes to the prospects of life beyond Earth, it’s almost a racing certainty that there’s life beneath the ice on Europa,” stated Grady in 2020.

NASA says that “Europa Clipper will orbit Jupiter and conduct multiple close flybys of Europa to gather data on the moon’s atmosphere, surface, and interior. Its sophisticated payload will investigate everything from the depth and salinity of the ocean to the thickness of the ice crust to the characteristics of potential plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space.”

Falcon Heavy, 2019. (SpaceX)

Europa Clipper will be carried into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful operational rocket today. The ~$178 million launch contract was announced on July 23rd, 2021. Following a tentative Q4 2024 launch into heliocentric (sun-orbiting) space, Europa Clipper will spend around three years in deep space, performing gravity-assist maneuvers at Earth and Mars to eventually boost itself to Jupiter for a 2028 arrival.

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Monica Pappas is a space flight enthusiast living on Florida's Space Coast. As a spaceflight reporter, her goal is to share stories about established and upcoming spaceflight companies. She hopes to share her excitement for the tremendous changes coming in the next few years for human spaceflight.

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Investor's Corner

BNP Paribas Exane initiates Tesla coverage with “Underperform” rating

The firm’s projections for Tesla still include an estimated 525,000 active Robotaxis by 2030.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has received a bearish call from BNP Paribas Exane, which initiated coverage on the stock with an Underperform rating and a $307 price target, about 30% below current levels. 

The firm’s analysts argued that Tesla’s valuation is driven heavily by artificial intelligence ventures such as the Robotaxi and Optimus, which are both still not producing any sales today.

Tesla’s valuation

In its note, BNP Paribas Exane stated that Tesla’s two AI-led programs, the Robotaxi and Optimus robots, generate “zero sales today, yet inform ~75% of our ~$1.02 trillion price target.” The research firm’s model projected a maximum bull-case valuation of $2.7 trillion through 2040, but after discounting milestone probabilities, its base-case valuation remained at $1.02 trillion.

The analysts described their outlook as optimistic toward Tesla’s AI ventures but cautioned that the stock’s “unfavorable risk/reward is clear,” adding that consensus earnings expectations for 2026 remain too high. Tesla’s market cap currently stands around $1.44 trillion with a trailing twelve-month revenue of $92.7 billion, which BNP Paribas argued does not justify Tesla’s P/E ratio of 258.59, as noted in an Investing.com report.

Tesla and its peers

BNP Paribas Exane’s report also included a comparative study of the “Magnificent Seven,” finding Tesla’s current market valuation as rather aggressive. “Our unique comparative analysis of the ‘Mag 7’ reveals the extreme nature of TSLA’s valuation, as the market implicitly says TSLA’s 2035 earnings (~55% of which will be driven by Robotaxi & Optimus, w/ zero sales now) have the same level of risk & value-appropriation as the ‘Mag 6’s’ 2026 earnings,” the firm noted.

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The firm’s projections for Tesla include an estimated 525,000 active Robotaxis by 2030, 17 million cumulative Optimus robot deliveries by 2040 priced above $20,000 each, and more than 11 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions by 2030. Interestingly enough, these seem to be rather optimistic projections for one of the electric vehicle maker’s more bearish estimates today.

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Tesla FSD’s new Mad Max mode is getting rave reviews from users

It does appear that Mad Max mode is destined to be one of the system’s biggest steps forward to date.

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Credit: Whole Mars Catalog/X

Tesla’s release notes for the newly released Mad Max mode for FSD (Supervised) V14.1.2 simply stated that the feature “comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.” But as per videos that have been posted online by FSD users who have tested the system, it does appear that Mad Max mode is destined to be one of the system’s biggest steps forward to date. 

It is then no surprise that the new capability is getting rave reviews from Tesla owners. 

Impressive tests

A look at posts on social media platform X would show that, similar to past FSD releases, numerous Tesla content creators immediately tested Mad Max mode on real-world streets after it was downloaded onto their vehicle. Considering that the update was released rather late, the first tests of Mad Max mode were done at night. Despite this, it was evident that Tesla worked very hard to make Mad Max mode into something that is very useful in real-world scenarios.

This could be seen in videos from longtime Tesla owner @BLKMDL3, who observed that Max Max mode was “amazing” and like “perfect for LA traffic” due to its cautious but assertive nature. Later on, the Tesla owner noted that after eight drives, it was evident that FSD (Supervised) V14.1.2 was impressive. 

Assertive but safe

Other testers such as Model Y owner Sawyer Merritt noted that Mad Max mode drives very quickly and confidently, with smoother acceleration that is still very safe. These were echoed by another longtime FSD tester, Dirty Tesla, who noted that Mad Max mode seems to be designed for heavy, aggressive traffic so users could fit in better. The FSD user did, however, observe that Mad Max mode does speed up a lot on open roads. 

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Recent comments from Tesla AI Head Ashok Elluswamy have indicated that Mad Max mode was created to be a solution for daytime congested traffic, which is arguably one of the most soul-crushing experiences that drivers deal with on a daily basis. With this in mind, it does appear that FSD (Supervised) V14.1.2 could prove to be a notable step forward in Tesla’s push towards true autonomous driving.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk highlights the biggest flaw in X’s monetization program

Elon Musk also stated that YouTube manages creator payments “much better.”

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MINISTÉRIO DAS COMUNICAÇÕES, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk has admitted that X’s creator payout system isn’t living up to expectations, and he has highlighted the current system’s biggest flaw. 

Amidst complaints about low and inconsistent payments, the platform’s owner acknowledged that X has been “underpaying and not allocating payment accurately enough.” Musk also stated that YouTube manages creator payments “much better.”

Musk acknowledges payout issues

Recent discussions about the social media platform’s payout issues began when X product head Nikita Bier stated that the company was developing new upgrades for “power users.” This prompted X user Peter Duan to raise ongoing concerns about being “consistently underpaid” compared to his peers. Bier responded candidly, suggesting that “creator payouts do more harm than good and we need to off-ramp to a different system.”

Musk then weighed in on the matter, contradicting Bier’s view. “No,” Musk wrote in his reply, “the issue is that we are underpaying and not allocating payment accurately enough. YouTube does a much better job.” The Tesla CEO’s comment immediately reignited debates about X’s monetization program, which some have criticized for its rather unpredictable nature.

X’s monetization challenges

Since X launched its ad revenue-sharing program in 2023, the system has promised to reward Premium subscribers who generate high engagement with verified accounts, as noted in a WION report. Creators, however, have argued that the company’s payout model has remained inconsistent, with revenue fluctuating even when view counts stay stable. Reports have noted that some users with millions of monthly impressions have received just a few hundred dollars.

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By contrast, YouTube’s Partner Program, which takes a 45% cut of ad revenue, is known for more transparent and predictable payments. Musk’s admission that YouTube handles monetization more effectively could then hint at a potential shift towards a new monetization program for X, a platform that has become increasingly critical to social conversations over the years. 

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