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Elon Musk says SpaceX could fire up first orbital-class Super Heavy booster next week
Update: In response to this article, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the plan is to not only ‘cryoproof’ the first flightworthy Super Heavy – but to static fire the booster and shake down Starship’s brand new orbital launch complex as early as “next week.”
A lot of work would need to be finished – and all of it smoothly – for an orbital launch pad cryoproof and static fire to be possible just a week or less from now but Musk’s response nevertheless provides invaluable context for SpaceX’s near-term plans and confirms that Super Heavy Booster 4 is ready for integrated testing as-is. Further, Musk’s tweet implies – as speculated – that Starbase’s orbital launch complex tank farm is much closer to test-readiness than it might otherwise appear.
For the second time in five weeks, SpaceX has installed a Super Heavy booster – fitted with 29 Raptor engines – on Starship’s nascent ‘orbital launch mount.’
Both Super Heavy Booster 4 (B4) and the launch mount have undergone substantial changes since they last parted ways four weeks ago. SpaceX teams have been laser-focused on installing the vast array of plumbing, wiring, and components required to turn the hulking steel structures into functional launch facilities and the largest flightworthy rocket and both certainly look the part.
Superheavy Booster 4 pic.twitter.com/jQ7RAN1nCK— SPadre (@SpacePadreIsle) September 8, 2021
Unlike Starship, which has an expansive skirt section perfect for stowing away sensitive plumbing and avionics, Super Heavy has an unusually short interstage and no real skirt, meaning that all the extra hardware SpaceX has installed over the last month or so is impossible to hide. Indeed, when Booster 4 rolled out of Starbase’s high bay for the second time on September 8th, the rocket was blanketed by dozens of new valves, thousands of feet of wiring and plumbing, pressure vessels, multiple hydraulic racks, a ‘quick disconnect’ (QD) umbilical panel for interfacing with the launch pad, places for “flight termination system” (FTS) explosive charges to be installed, and much, much more.
Additionally, Super Heavy B4’s second batch of 29 Raptors – installed in late August – also appear to all have outward-facing umbilical panels that will all the booster to receive some level of assistance from ground systems while igniting those engines. It’s unclear what exactly they’ll do but it’s likely that those engine umbilical will connect to high-pressure gas systems on the ground, presumably minimizing the already absurd amount of COPVs and secondary plumbing present on Super Heavy.
However, Super Heavy will still need to be able to reignite anywhere from 1 to 13 of its 29-32 Raptor engines in flight for boostback and landing burns, potentially explaining the eight large pressure vessels and 100+ small, high-pressure gas lines installed on B4’s aft end. Super Heavy also needs to be able to chill, feed, and purge all 29-32 of its Raptor engines, guaranteeing that Starship’s booster plumbing situation was going to be immensely complex no matter the approach SpaceX took.
In addition to Super Heavy B4’s newfound complexity, SpaceX also spent the last four or so weeks outfitting Starbase’s orbital launch mount’ with all the plumbing, power, avionics, and mechanical systems it will need to function as “Stage Zero” of orbital-class, two-stage Starship rockets. SpaceX has installed most of the secondary quick disconnect structures that will connect to and feed each of Super Heavy’s 20 outer Raptor engines. The main Super Heavy quick disconnect device was also installed and a team has been gradually outfitting and connecting the structure to the plumbing, avionics, and power it will provide boosters.
A significant amount of work still remains to connect the orbital launch mount to SpaceX’s incomplete and custom-built orbital tank farm, which will store, supercool, and feed the pad, Super Heavy, and Starship with several thousand metric tons of liquid and gaseous oxygen and methane. It’s difficult to say how close Starbase’s tank farm is to being able to support Starship or Super Heavy testing, which makes it equally unclear what SpaceX’s near-term plans are for Booster 4. It’s possible that the rocket has been reinstalled on the orbital launch mount as a second fit check, perhaps focused on those 20 outer Raptor quick-disconnect mechanisms.
It’s also possible that the tank farm and launch mount plumbing are much closer to completion than expected, meaning that Super Heavy B4 could remain at the orbital pad until it’s completed several crucial cryogenic proof and static fire tests. Of course, short of confirmation from Musk himself, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Tesla’s dreams of operating a fully autonomous ride-hailing platform just took a massive step toward reality, as two separate events have indicated the company is perhaps closer than ever to achieving self-driving as a product.
On Thursday, Tesla was granted authorization by the State of Texas to operate driverless vehicles in a commercial manner. On May 28, Senate Bill 2807, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, took effect after being passed back on September 1, 2025.
The bill establishes a statewide regulatory framework requiring authorization from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for companies to operate automated vehicles commercially on Texas roads.
This covers driverless, or SAE Level 4+, operations for passenger transport, meaning Robotaxi, or freight.
Tesla and other companies can self-certify their vehicles and tech as long as they:
- Operate in compliance with Texas traffic laws
- Maintain proper registration, title, and insurance
- Use compliant automated driving systems
- Record onboard activity and handle system failures and glitches safely.
The new authorization, which was first reported by James Stephenson on X, allows companies to utilize their own processes to determine if their vehicles are ready to operate without drivers.
🚨BREAKING:
Tesla has been authorized by the State of Texas to operate driverless vehicles commercially under the new law that took effect today, May 28th, 2026. Tesla has officially self-certified the software running on its robotaxis as Level 4. $TSLA pic.twitter.com/KSJdsvlaW5— James Stephenson (@ICannot_Enough) May 28, 2026
It is a rule that expedites the entire approval process, keeping agencies out of a usually long, lengthy, and frustrating task that is essential to technological advancements. It essentially means Tesla can launch commercial Robotaxi operations at this point.
On the very same day, Tesla continued the momentum as CEO Elon Musk shared a video of Cybercab units autonomously driving off the property at Gigafactory Texas. This is a major step in the story of the Cybercab.
Mass production of the Cybercab started at Giga Texas in April, and it is already heading out of the factory on its own.
Cybercab driving itself out of the GigaTexas factory pic.twitter.com/EwAMVVDjYy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 28, 2026
These two major events mark a drastic step forward in Tesla’s progress toward Cybercab and the permissions it needs to operate a self-driving ride-hailing service. Tesla is now able to operate autonomously under Texas law by self-certifying, and with the potentially imminent rollout of Cybercab, Tesla’s autonomous dreams are starting to take serious shape.
Elon Musk
The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building
Tesla and SpaceX may be closer to merging than Wall Street or either company is admitting.
Elon Musk has reportedly discussed merging Tesla and SpaceX with people close to him, according to CNBC, which cited sources familiar with the conversation. Tesla employees have long expected such a transaction and the topic is openly discussed internally, according to internal sources. With SpaceX is days away from kicking off its Wall Street roadshow for what could be the largest IPO in market history, this would be the first time the company will have public market currency to execute a stock-for-stock deal with Tesla.
The financial logic for a merger would make sense. A combined SpaceX and Tesla would create a conglomerate spanning rockets, satellites, electric vehicles, AI infrastructure, and energy storage valued at roughly $3.35 trillion to $3.6 trillion based on SpaceX’s IPO target range and Tesla’s current market capitalization. The two companies are already more intertwined than most people realize. SpaceX bought $697 million worth of Tesla Megapack systems for xAI data centers and $131 million worth of Cybertrucks. Tesla invested $2 billion in xAI, which subsequently merged with SpaceX. Past transactions also include Tesla selling solar equipment and parts to SpaceX, and SpaceX helping with Cybertruck materials.
Will Tesla join the fold? Predicting a triple merger with SpaceX and xAI
Musk himself signaled where this was heading in November 2025 when he posted on X, “My companies are, surprisingly in some ways, trending towards convergence.” Tesla and SpaceX announced a joint semiconductor fabrication facility in Austin called Terafab on the Gigafactory Texas campus, covering two advanced chip factories, with one serving Tesla’s AI needs for vehicles and Optimus robots, the other targeting space-based data centers under SpaceX’s infrastructure vision.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives places the probability of a merger at 80% to 90% with a target completion in the first half of 2027. The mechanics of a deal became possible the moment SpaceX filed its S-1. Legal experts said a merger likely would not spark antitrust issues but would raise concerns among shareholders in each company, with questions around which company would be the parent, how a stock swap would take place, and who determines the appropriate price. Musk holds about 20% of Tesla’s equity but controls 85.1% of SpaceX’s voting power through a super-voting share class, meaning he would largely be negotiating the terms with himself.
Not everyone is convinced the timing is imminent. Traders on Kalshi place only 33% odds that a merger will happen before May 2027. The more immediate concern for Tesla shareholders is whether the SpaceX IPO pulls capital and Musk’s attention away from Tesla before any merger consolidates the upside for both.
What is clear is that the structural groundwork is already being laid. The Terafab announcement, the xAI merger, the shared supply chain, the cross-company balance sheet transactions, and now the IPO all point in the same direction. Whether the merger follows in 2027 or later, the two companies are already operating more like divisions of a single entity than independent competitors.
Elon Musk
SpaceX to become America’s Military data backbone for missiles, drones, and warfighters
The Space Force just handed SpaceX $2.29 billion to build the military’s space internet backbone.
The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract on May 26, 2026 to build the backbone of its Space Data Network, a satellite-based communications system designed to keep American military forces connected anywhere on Earth in real time. The contract is firm-fixed-price and requires SpaceX to deliver a fully operational prototype by the end of 2027.
In plain terms, the SDN Backbone is the plumbing behind the military’s space-based internet. It functions as a low Earth orbit satellite constellation providing robust, high-capacity, and low-latency data transport for the Joint Force, connecting sensors and weapons systems continuously, globally, and securely. Think of it as a private, hardened version of Starlink built specifically for battlefield communications, one that soldiers, ships, and aircraft can rely on even in contested environments where ground-based networks have been disrupted.
SpaceX is quietly becoming the U.S. Military’s only reliable rocket
The Space Force was direct about why SpaceX was selected. “The SDN Backbone leverages the best of commercial innovation and delivers a strong foundation for the SDN mission set — a huge benefit and enabler for our warfighters,” said USSF Col. Ryan Frazier.
“We aren’t trading speed for scale; we are demanding both. By using rapid prototyping and Other Transaction Authorities, we are ensuring our advanced solutions are integrated and delivered to the warfighter as fast as possible,” added USSF Lt. Col. Fry, SDN Backbone system program manager.
The SDN Backbone will work alongside the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, with the two systems forming a unified open architecture to provide critical data transport for current and future Department of War missions.
As Teslarati has reported, this is not SpaceX’s first Space Force contract of 2026. In April, the Space Force awarded SpaceX $178.5 million to launch missile tracking satellites, and SpaceX is already embedded in the Golden Dome missile defense software group. The $2.29 billion SDN Backbone award puts SpaceX at the center of how the American military communicates in space, a position with direct implications for its reported $1.75 trillion IPO valuation as the company heads toward a public offering as early as June 2026.
Tesla’s Robotaxi dreams just took a massive step toward reality
The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building
