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SpaceX launches 62nd orbital mission of the year

62nd orbital launch of the year for SpaceX (Credit Richard Angle)

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Last night at 10:47 p.m. ET (02:47 UTC), SpaceX launched 21 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, breaking their company record of 61 launches in a year.

The 62nd launch comes with four months still remaining in the year and plenty of launches still left on the schedule. SpaceX could approach the low 90s by year’s end. SpaceX is far ahead of any other launch provider when it comes to mass to orbit, mostly due to numerous Starlink launches.

Elon Musk has stated they want to launch 100 in a year, and the only thing that seems to stand in the way of that goal is vehicle and payload availability. SpaceX currently has 17 flight-proven Falcon 9 first-stage rockets in various stages of readiness. A few of those are assigned as Falcon Heavy side boosters.

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Along with the 17 Falcon 9 rockets at the ready, there are multiple new Falcon 9s and Falcon Heavy center cores in progress as well, so vehicle availability should not pose a problem for the company.

As for the 21 Starlink satellites launched last night, they separated from the 2nd stage an hour and five minutes after lift-off, and they were inserted into a 43-degree orbital inclination.

This mission kicked off what could be another busy month for SpaceX, having just come off a nine-launch campaign in August. September could see up to eight launches, including the possibility of a Starship test launch. Starship still has work to do, but there are notices for a mid to late-month launch of the massive rocket.

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After launching from Launch Complex 39A, Booster 1073 landed on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions,” completing its 10th mission to space and back. It was also the 149th successful Falcon recovery in a row.

The next launch for SpaceX will be another Starlink mission from Florida, currently scheduled for NET September 8th.

With SpaceX breaking their launch record and four more months left in the year, how many do you think they could achieve for 2023? The sky isn’t the limit anymore.

Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.

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Launch journalist, specializing in launch photography. Based on the Space Coast, a short drive from Cape Canaveral and the SpaceX launch pads.

Elon Musk

Analyst: Elon Musk’s $1 trillion Tesla pay deal modest against robot market potential

Jonas highlighted Tesla’s longer-term ambitions in robotics as a key factor in his assessment.

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Credit: Tesla

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, one of Wall Street’s most ardent Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bulls today, has described Elon Musk’s newly proposed $1 trillion performance-based compensation package as a “good deal” for investors. 

In a note shared this week, Jonas argued that the package helps align the interests of Musk and Tesla’s minority shareholders, despite its shockingly high headline number.

Future market opportunities

Jonas highlighted Tesla’s longer-term ambitions in robotics as a key factor in his assessment. “Yes, a trillion bucks is a big number, but (it) is rather modest compared to the size of the market opportunity,” Jonas wrote. He added that the humanoid robot market could ultimately surpass the size of today’s global labor market “by a significant multiple.”

“We have entertained scenarios where the humanoid robot market can exceed the size of today’s global labor market… by a significant multiple,” Jonas wrote, as shared on X by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt.

The analyst likened the arrival of AI-powered robotics to the transformative effect of electricity, noting that “contemplating future global GDP before AI robots is like contemplating global GDP before electricity.” The Morgan Stanley analyst’s insights align with the idea that as much as 80% of Tesla’s future valuation could be tied to its Optimus humanoid robot program.

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Elon Musk’s pay package

Tesla’s board has tied Elon Musk’s proposed compensation package to some of the most ambitious targets in corporate history. The 2025 CEO Performance Award requires the automaker’s valuation to soar from roughly $1.1 trillion today to $8.5 trillion over the next decade, a level that would make Tesla the most valuable company in existence.

The plan also demands a leap in Tesla’s operating profit, from $17 billion in 2024 to $400 billion annually. It also ties the CEO’s compensation to a number of product milestones, including the delivery of 20 million vehicles in total, 10 million active Full Self-Driving subscriptions, 1 million Tesla Bots, and 1 million Robotaxis in operation. Tesla’s board emphasized that Musk’s leadership was fundamental to achieving such ambitious goals, with Chair Robyn Denholm noting the award would align the CEO’s incentives with long-term shareholder value.

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Tesla China posts strongest registrations of Q3 so far with first Model Y L deliveries

Tesla posted 14,300 insurance registrations in China during the week of September 1–7.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla posted 14,300 insurance registrations in China during the week of September 1–7, a 14.4% increase from the previous week’s 12,500 units. 

The figure marks Tesla’s highest weekly performance so far this quarter so far, despite the company’s year-over-year figures still being below 2024’s numbers.

Weekly registrations

The week’s registrations broke down to 5,000 Model 3s and 8,400 Model Ys, including the first 900 units of the newly launched Model Y L variant, as per estimates from industry watchers. On a quarterly basis, Tesla China is tracking 41.3% growth compared to the previous quarter, which bodes well for the company’s results this Q3 2025.

For the month of August, Tesla sold 57,152 vehicles in China, down 9.93% from the same period in 2024 but up 40.7% from July’s 40,617 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Year-to-date, Tesla’s China sales are 7.2% lower compared to the previous year.

Model Y L first deliveries

The week ending September 7 was the first week that included the newly released Model Y L, a six-seat extended wheelbase version of the company’s best-selling all-electric crossover. Industry watchers estimate that last week, the first 900 units of the Model Y L have been registered, though this number is expected to increase in the coming weeks as deliveries of the vehicle hit their pace.

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Citing information from a Tesla store in Beijing, Chinese media outlet Cailianshe stated that the Model Y L has been seeing a lot of interest among car buyers. “(The Model Y L) is selling very well. Since its launch, 120,000 orders have been received, with nearly 10,000 orders placed every day. The first batch of customers began receiving deliveries in the past two days,” a Tesla representative stated.

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Tesla launches MultiPass to simplify charging at non-Tesla stations

With the new service, Tesla owners can activate charging either through the Tesla app or by using their existing Tesla key card.

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tesla nacs charger
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has introduced MultiPass, a new feature that allows owners to use their Tesla account to charge at non-Tesla charging stations. 

The service launched this week in the Netherlands, giving drivers the ability to find chargers, start sessions, and view charging history directly within the Tesla app.

Streamlining third-party charging

With MultiPass, Tesla owners can activate charging either through the Tesla app or by using their existing Tesla key card. This eliminates the need for separate accounts or additional cards from third-party networks. Tesla Charging highlighted the convenience of managing charging sessions in one location in a post on X, while Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging for North America, emphasized that the update removes unnecessary friction.

“Nobody likes creating more accounts with payment details and passwords. For charging, this can even mean needing a third-party charging card mailed to your house. Starting in the Netherlands today, your Tesla App and your existing (!) Tesla keycard can start charging at third-party chargers. We’ll expand this to more countries quickly if customers love it. To make ownership effortless, the Tesla App should really be the only thing you need,” the Tesla executive wrote in a post on X.

Third-party payments and a familiar name

Tesla owners could pay for their third-party charging session with their Tesla accounts, as per the electric vehicle maker on its official website. Payments are drafted from users’ default payment method in the Tesla App, though charging costs will still vary depending on the third-party charger that is used.

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Interestingly, the MultiPass name also echoes a pop culture reference. In the 1997 sci-fi film The Fifth Element, Leeloo Dallas-505 carried a futuristic “Multipass” smart card that functioned as her ID, passport, and ticket to space travel. Her accented repetition of “Multipass!” became one of the film’s most memorable lines, and it highlighted the card’s all-in-one convenience.

Tesla has not provided a timeline for Multipass’ U.S. rollout, though the service could become an important addition to the growing but often fragmented landscape of DC fast charging.

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