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SpaceX’s next West Coast Starlink launch is heading to an unexpected orbit

Published

4 years ago

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SpaceX has unexpectedly changed the Earth orbit its next Starlink launch is targeting.

Like all planned Starlink launches, the latest batch of satellites will ultimately raise themselves into a circular orbit around 550 kilometers (~340 mi) above Earth’s surface. However, beyond the basic orbital altitude, the mission will be completely different than previously expected.

Before SpaceX released details about the launch, which is now scheduled no earlier than (NET) 1:46 am PDT (UTC-8) on Friday, December 17th 1:24 am PDT (09:24 UTC) on Saturday, December 18th, it was believed the mission was called Starlink 2-3, or the third launch of a second ‘shell’ or group of satellites. SpaceX’s initial ~4400-satellite Starlink constellation is distributed into five different ‘shells’ – all with similar orbits between 540 and 570 km. What mainly differentiates each shell is orbital inclination, which refers to the tilt of an object’s orbit around a celestial body.

Contrary to what most expected, instead of the second dedicated Starlink launch for the constellation’s 70-degree shell (“Group 2”), SpaceX’s December 17th launch – known as Starlink 4-4 – will actually carry the third batch of “Group 4” satellites to an inclination of 53.22 degrees. Aside from once again skipping over Starlink 4-2, which has yet to launch for unknown reasons and was already leapfrogged by Starlink 4-3 earlier this month, Starlink 4-4 will also be launching out of SpaceX’s West Coast pad, while all thirty-one other dedicated 53-degree Starlink missions have launched out of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A 53-degree launch out of Vandenberg Space Force Base, California is unusual because, up to now, it’s been unable to regularly launch to inclinations lower than approximately 56 degrees. Any lower (further east) and the rocket would end up overflying populated areas in Baja California or even the southwest coast of Mexico. For obvious reasons, the US FAA and other countries are not a fan of having what amounts to a high-velocity explosive device fly over populated areas.

A map of possible Space Shuttle launch inclinations.

The only apparent way SpaceX could launch to 53 degrees from Vandenberg is if Falcon 9 performs a dogleg maneuver several minutes after launch, effectively conducting a (slight) left turn mid-flight. While seemingly simple, even a minor few-degree dogleg maneuver can cost an intuitively large amount of delta-V, potentially significantly reducing the amount of payload a rocket can launch to a given orbit. For Starlink missions, maximizing payload to orbit is perhaps the single most important way (beyond reusability) SpaceX is able to reduce launch costs.

However, according to the prelaunch information SpaceX provided Celestrak, Starlink 4-4 will launch 52 V1.5 satellites into orbit – just one less than an equivalent launch (Starlink 4-1) from the East Coast. If SpaceX only needs to reduce an optimal stack of 53 V1.5 satellites to 52 to pay for Starlink 4-4’s dogleg maneuver, it’s technically only raising the average launch cost per satellite or unit of network bandwidth by less than 2%. That’s not a bad trade given that it could allow SpaceX to expand the number of launch pads capable of supporting the most common Starlink launches from two to three – a 50% increase. At the end of the day, deploying as many mid-inclination Starlink satellites as quickly as possible is likely the fastest way to expand network capacity, add Starlink subscribers, and thus grow revenue.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla’s Elon Musk considers insane Cybertruck mod: ‘Maybe we should make this’

The Cybertruck won’t do what the video shows (at least not in our lifetime), but a very entry-level version of it could be developed.

Published

9 hours ago

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August 19, 2025

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Credit: Cybertruck | X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased what could potentially be the company’s next big project, and while it is likely many, many years away, it shows the company truly has its sights set on the craziest things the world has seen.

Musk shared a video created by Grok Imagine, the AI tool that is able to take images and turn them into videos, showing a Cybertruck flying above the clouds and buildings of what appears to be a very futuristic city.

There are also massive robots roaming around in the video, so it is obviously an illustration of what life could look like in several generations.

However, Musk, who does not shy away from some really optimistic projects and goals, shared the video on X and said, “Maybe Tesla should make this.”

What is depicted in the video is not what we’d see Tesla create anytime soon. However, the company could potentially engineer something to make the Cybertruck hover, as it plans to do with the Roadster.

Of course, this is likely a huge “if” considering the current state of the car industry. Vehicles are becoming more advanced with every passing day as companies like Tesla, Waymo, and others are working to sort out things like autonomous and driverless travel.

Tesla has been working on somewhat of a similar idea with the Roadster, a vehicle that has been delayed on several occasions because of Musk’s spectacular imagination. Earlier this year, Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, revealed Musk wanted to push the limits of that vehicle even more.

The new Tesla Roadster will be able to fly: Elon Musk

It seems it could be on the way soon, considering Tesla has teased an “epic” demo for the car, which could come before the end of the year.

Tesla has been working to make the Roadster hover, using SpaceX cold gas thrusters. It will also utilize these for what could be an incredibly fast 1.1-second 0-60 MPH acceleration rate that has been teased countless times.

This project that Musk is teasing with the Cybertruck is likely one that we will not see in our lifetimes. However, this is just one example of the outlandish ideas Musk continues to tease for Tesla in the future.

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Tesla Model Y L addresses one huge complaint from many owners

If you have ever used a wireless charger inside a Tesla or almost any vehicle, for that matter, you will notice that your phone will charge slowly, and it will get extremely hot. This is mostly due to the inherent inefficiency of electromagnetic induction, which is the process that wireless chargers use to transfer energy to the phone.

Published

12 hours ago

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August 19, 2025

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The new Tesla Model Y L is officially launching in China at a great price and with all of the awesome features of the original model, but with more space. The vehicle is also addressing one huge complaint that many owners have discussed.

The new Model Y L features a more spacious interior, new front seats with adjustable headrests, captains chairs, and mechanical armrests in the second row, and B Pillar air vents for improved circulation.

Tesla Model Y L officially launched: price, features, and more

However, there are some other features that are flying under the radar, including one that addresses a common complaint of many Tesla owners: wireless charging.

If you have ever used a wireless charger inside a Tesla or almost any vehicle, for that matter, you will notice that your phone will charge slowly, and it will get extremely hot. This is mostly due to the inherent inefficiency of electromagnetic induction, which is the process that wireless chargers use to transfer energy to the phone.

The inefficiency is evident in the heat, as that is the lost energy that should be going to the phone, but does not.

To combat this problem, Tesla has rolled out a new feature with the wireless charging mat in the Model Y L.

Tesla has used small slit air vents in the center of the wireless charger, which separates the two pads, to blow cool air on the phones to prevent overheating:

This will keep the temperature of your phone down and could prevent the dreaded “iPhone too hot” message that deems your device unusable until it reaches a more stable temperature.

Additionally, Tesla has upgraded the driver’s side wireless charger to support 50W charging speeds. The passenger charger remains at 30W.

This is a small but valuable improvement to the wireless charging apparatus could be a game changer, as there have been so many complaints about this feature in other Tesla vehicles.

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Tesla Model Y Performance zips around Nurburgring with new features

With the performance, there are some improvements to interior aesthetics, but the goal with this particular trim of Tesla vehicles is to improve performance and aerodynamics, bringing a truly first-class experience to one of the best and fastest vehicles on the road.

Published

13 hours ago

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August 19, 2025

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Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram

The long-awaited Tesla Model Y Performance has been spotted zipping around the famed Nurburgring in Germany, a popular location for new vehicles to test their limits ahead of public release.

Earlier this year, Tesla executives Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy both indicated that the updated and upgraded Model Y Performance would be on its way by the end of 2025, and it appears that time is coming close.

New images captured by Wilco Blok and Teslaplaidtokde on X show the Model Y Performance wrapped in camouflage, sporting a handful of new features as the lightning-fast version of the world’s best-selling vehicle prepares for a launch in various markets across the world:

New Features

According to Blok and Teslaplaidtokde, the new Model Y Performance will feature a variety of new improvements compared to the past version.

This is something that was expected, as the launch of the new Model Y over the past year has shown various changes that made a great vehicle even better.

With the performance, there are some improvements to interior aesthetics, but the goal with this particular trim of Tesla vehicles is to improve performance and aerodynamics, bringing a truly first-class experience to one of the best and fastest vehicles on the road.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ᴡɪʟᴄᴏ ʙʟᴏᴋ (@wilcoblok)

Here’s what was mentioned as changes so far that have been seen on this test mule at Nurburgring:

  • New 21″ wheels
  • All black headliner, a big change that was included in the Model Y L, the first time a Model Y has had that option
  • Updated brakes
  • Bucket seats that appear to be similar to the new Model Y L in China
  • New Carbon Fiber Spoiler
  • Performance Badging
  • Changes to both the front and rear bumper
  • Suspension with Adaptive Dampers

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ᴡɪʟᴄᴏ ʙʟᴏᴋ (@wilcoblok)

Expected Performance Metrics

These are not official figures, but this is what is expected based on what has been seen at the Nurburgring:

  • 510 horsepower
  • 0-60 MPH in 3.2-3.4 seconds
  • 280-290 miles of range
  • Anticipating the release of a new Track Mode

The previous iteration of the Model Y Performance featured 503 horsepower and a 0-60 MPH of 3.5 seconds. It also had a top speed of 155, which we believe will be improved with the next version of the Y Performance.

Here is some footage of the Model Y Performance running around the Nurburgring ahead of its release:

Tesla has not yet listed any date or timeframe for the Performance variant to be released. However, it is anticipated to be released by the end of 2025.

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