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SpaceX targets September launch of military GPS satellite for US Space Force

The U.S. Space Force GPS III SV03 satellite is encapsulated and stands atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 ahead of launch on June 30, 2020. (SpaceX)

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On July 14, just two weeks after the successful SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the Lockheed Martin-built GPS III Space Vehicle 03 (SV03) satellite for the United States Space Force, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station took delivery of the GPS III Space Vehicle 04 (SV04) GPS satellite from The U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). The GPS III SV04 satellite, like its predecessor GPS III SV03, is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 no earlier than Septemeber.

The U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center successfully delivered the fourth Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, July 14. (Courtesy photo U.S. Space force)
In a statement provided by the U.S. Air Force, SMC’s Medium Earth Orbit Space Systems Division chief, Col. Edward Byrne, said that “the delivery of SV04 marks the start of our third GPS III launch campaign on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and brings us another step closer in advancing the GPS constellation with more capable satellites.” The SpaceX Falcon 9 previously lifted the GPS III SV01 and SV03 satellites to orbit in December 2018 and June 2020 respectively.
 

According to Lockheed Martin, the GPS III series of satellites is “three times more accurate than the current satellite, the signals will be more powerful, and up to eight times improved jamming resistance and availability for critical missions worldwide.” The U.S. Space Force aims to improve “positioning, navigation, and timing signals for more than four billion military, civil and commercial users” with the full fleet of GPS III satellites. The GPS III SV04 satellite is expected to join a constellation of a planned 31 GPS satellites built by Lockheed Martin for the US Space Force.

The payload fairing with GPS III SV03 encapsulated inside is mated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 in June 2020. (Photo courtesy of SpaceX)

In an ongoing effort to upgrade GPS Ground Operational Control Systems (OCS), the U.S. Space Force authorized the Contingency Operations (COps) upgrade. The upgrade fully enables an ultra-secure and jam-resistant Military Code, or M-Code, encrypted GPS signal to be used with the GPS III series of satellites. The upgrade increases secure communication access for the armed forces with enhanced protection from spoofing, falsely identifying signals sent from malicious sources as ones sent from trusted sources.

In a statement provided by Lockheed Martin following the successful launch of the GPS III SV03 satellite in June 2020, Tonya Ladwig, Lockheed Martin’s Acting Vice President for Navigation Systems, stated that “As a nation, we use GPS signals every day — they time-stamp all our financial transactions, they make aviation safe, they make precision farming possible, and so much more. GPS has become a critical part of our national infrastructure.” She explained further that “continued investment in modernizing GPS – updating technology, improving its capabilities – is well worth it.”

Falcon 9 B1060 first and second stages seen in the Horizontal Integration Facility fully integrated with the GPS III SV03 satellite payload ahead of rolling out to SpaceX’s LC-40 pad on June 29th, 2020. (SpaceX)

The SGPS III SV04 satellite is now entering into the final stages of pre-launch preparations. At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Florida, the satellite is currently undergoing functionality testing, propellant loading, and will eventually be encapsulated into a protective Falcon 9 payload fairing. Following successful encapsulation, the satellite will be integrated with the Falcon 9 first and second stages at the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the U.S. Space Force GPS III SV04 satellite is expected to take place from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than September 2020.

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

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Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck undergoes interior mod that many owners wanted

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tesla cybertruck diy bench seat
Credit: @blueskykites | X

Tesla Cybertruck is significantly different from traditional pickups on the market in a lot of ways. However, one feature that was recently modified with its interior was a highly requested characteristic that is present in other trucks, but was void from Cybertruck.

Tesla went with a five-seat configuration with Cybertruck: two in the front and three in the back. The spacious interior is matched with plenty of storage, especially up front, as a pass-through, center console, and other storage options, but some Tesla fans wanted something different: bench seating.

Bench seating is popular in many full-size pickups and allows three passengers to sit up front. The middle seat is usually accompanied by a fold-down storage unit with cupholders.

Tesla decided to opt for no bench seating up front, despite the fact that it equipped bench seating in the unveiling in 2019. Interior photos from the unveiling event from nearly six-and-a-half years ago show Tesla had originally planned to have a six-seat configuration.

This was adjusted after the company refined the design:

tesla cybertruck initial interior

(Tesla Cybertruck interior configuration in 2019)

Despite Tesla abandoning this design, it does not mean owners were willing to accept it. One owner decided to modify their Tesla Cybertruck interior to equip that third seat between the driver’s and passenger’s thrones.

The fit is snug, and while it looks great, it is important to remember that this does not abide byregulations, as it would require an airbag to be technically legal. Please do not do this at home with your own Cybertruck:

The Cybertruck is a popular vehicle in terms of publicity, but its sales have been underwhelming since first delivered to customers back in 2023. It’s hard to believe it’s been out for two-and-a-half years, but despite this, Tesla has not been able to come through on its extensive order sheet.

This is mostly due to price, as Cybertruck was simply not as affordable as Tesla originally planned. Its three configurations were initially priced at $39,990, $49,990, and $69,990. At release, Cybertruck was priced above $100,000.

This priced out many of those who had placed orders, which is the main reason Cybertruck has not lived up to its expectations in terms of sales. The adjustments to the specific features, like the removal of the bench seat, likely did not impact sales as much as pricing did.

This modification shows some creativity by Tesla owners, but also shows that the Cybertruck could always be the subject of a potential refresh to include some of these features. Tesla routinely adjusts its vehicle designs every few years, so maybe the Cybertruck could get something like this if it chooses to refresh its all-electric pickup.

 

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Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk drops massive bomb about Cybercab

“And there is so much to this car that is not obvious on the surface,” Musk said.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a massive bomb about the Cybercab, which is the company’s fully autonomous ride-hailing vehicle that will enter production later this year.

The Cybercab was unveiled back in October 2024 at the company’s “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles, and is among the major catalysts for the company’s growth in the coming years. It is expected to push Tesla into a major growth phase, especially as the automaker is transitioning into more of an AI and Robotics company than anything else.

The Cybercab will enable completely autonomous ride-hailing for Tesla, and although its other vehicles will also be capable of this technology, the Cybercab is slightly different. It will have no steering wheel or pedals, and will allow two occupants to travel from Point A to Point B with zero responsibilities within the car.

Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production

Details on the Cybercab are pretty face value at this point: we know Tesla is enabling 1-2 passengers to ride in it at a time, and this strategy was based on statistics that show most ride-hailing trips have no more than two occupants. It will also have in-vehicle entertainment options accessible from the center touchscreen.

It will also have wireless charging capabilities, which were displayed at “We, Robot,” and there could be more features that will be highly beneficial to riders, offering a full-fledged autonomous experience.

Musk dropped a big hint that there is much more to the Cybercab than what we know, as a post on X said that “there is so much to this car that is not obvious on the surface.”

As the Cybercab is expected to enter production later this year, Tesla is surely going to include a handful of things they have not yet revealed to the public.

Musk seems to be indicating that some of the features will make it even more groundbreaking, and the idea is to enable a truly autonomous experience from start to finish for riders. Everything from climate control to emergency systems, and more, should be included with the car.

It seems more likely than not that Tesla will make the Cybercab its smartest vehicle so far, as if its current lineup is not already extremely intelligent, user-friendly, and intuitive.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla Q4 delivery numbers are better than they initially look: analyst

The Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner shared his thoughts in a post on his website.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Longtime Tesla analyst and Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner Gene Munster has shared his insights on Tesla’s Q4 2025 deliveries. As per the analyst, Tesla’s numbers are actually better than they first appear. 

Munster shared his thoughts in a post on his website. 

Normalized December Deliveries

Munster noted that Tesla delivered 418k vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025, slightly below Street expectations of 420k but above the whisper number of 415k. Tesla’s reported 16% year-over-year decline, compared to +7% in September, is largely distorted by the timing of the tax credit expiration, which pulled forward demand.

“Taking a step back, we believe September deliveries pulled forward approximately 55k units that would have otherwise occurred in December or March. For simplicity, we assume the entire pull-forward impacted the December quarter. Under this assumption, September growth would have been down ~5% absent the 55k pull-forward, a Deepwater estimate tied to the credit’s expiration.

For December deliveries to have declined ~5% year over year would imply total deliveries of roughly 470k. Subtracting the 55k units pulled into September results in an implied December delivery figure of approximately 415k. The reported 418k suggests that, when normalizing for the tax credit timing, quarter-over-quarter growth has been consistently down ~5%. Importantly, this ~5% decline represents an improvement from the ~13% declines seen in both the March and June 2025 quarters.

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Tesla’s United States market share

Munster also estimated that Q4 as a whole might very well show a notable improvement in Tesla’s market share in the United States. 

“Over the past couple of years, based on data from Cox Automotive, Tesla has been losing U.S. EV market share, declining to just under 50%. Based on data for October and November, Cox estimates that total U.S. EV sales were down approximately 35%, compared to Tesla’s just reported down 16% for the full quarter.  For the first two months of the quarter, Cox reported Tesla market share of roughly a 65% share, up from under 50% in the September quarter.

“While this data excludes December, the quarter as a whole is likely to show a material improvement in Tesla’s U.S. EV market share.

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