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SpaceX static fires Falcon 9 rocket for next NRO spy satellite launch
SpaceX says it has successfully static-fired a Falcon 9 rocket scheduled to launch the company’s second National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) spy satellite mission of 2022 later this month.
Known as NROL-85, it may or may not be related to the NROL-87 mission SpaceX successfully launched out of its Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) SLC-4 facilities on February 2nd. By all appearances, NROL-85 will be quite similar. Aside from using the same launch pad and also carrying a payload light enough to allow for a rare return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing, NROL-85 will use the same Falcon 9 booster – B1071 – that launched NROL-87 as few as 72 days prior.
The NRO says NROL-85 is on track to lift off no earlier than (NET) 6:41 am PDT (13:41 UTC) on Friday, April 15th. Aside from narrowly missing out on an opportunity for a spectacular predawn launch, the current schedule has Falcon 9 launching almost ten days after its static fire test – perhaps the longest intentional gap between a SpaceX Falcon static fire and launch in recent memory. SpaceX has had occasional missions where technical issues or weather have delayed a launch by one or several weeks. However, it’s difficult to remember another instance where SpaceX successfully completed a static fire more than a week prior to a pre-planned launch date.
For years, a roughly 2-7-day delay between static fires and launches has become the norm for nominal operations, including particularly critical missions for NASA, the NRO, and the US military. NROL-87, for example, saw SpaceX static fire the same Falcon 9 booster scheduled to launch NROL-85 one week before launch. Oddly, NROL-85 will be the NRO’s second reuse of a Falcon 9 after NROL-108 launched on a four-flight booster in 2020, which makes it difficult to argue that reusability component of NROL-85 is responsible for the gap.
It’s possible that NROL-108 was a more risk-tolerant experiment or one-off payload and that NROL-87 and -85 are somehow more ‘operational,’ which might explain the unusually long delay between NROL-85’s static fire and launch date. It could also be mere conservatism. Such a long gap gives the NRO and SpaceX with plenty of flexibility to deal with any minor to moderate issues that might arise during launch preparations without immediately disrupting the April 15th target.
Unsurprisingly, that margin was likely unnecessary. The static fire was completed without issue on April 5th, leaving SpaceX firmly on track to launch NROL-85 on April 15th with almost ten full days to roll the rocket back to the hangar, install Falcon 9’s fairing, and roll the rocket back out to the pad. The mission will mark SpaceX’s 91st booster reuse and 89th launch with a flight-proven Falcon booster since March 2017.
Later this month, SpaceX is preparing to launch Crew-4 – carrying four NASA and ESA astronauts – as early as April 21st and Starlink 4-14 a few days after that.
News
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.
This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.
Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
