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SpaceX will offer a ridesharing flight for NASA and Iridium launch mission
Earlier this year, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket returned to flight after its September 1, 2016 anomaly by launching the first set of Iridium NEXT satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). Further confirming Iridium’s dedication to SpaceX, the company announced yesterday that their constellation of 75 global communication satellites is now fully contracted to be launched into orbit by eight Falcon 9 rockets. They’ve also snagged a rare opportunity to go into space with NASA.
announces 8th launch, rideshare with NASA/GFZ to deliver 5 Iridium NEXT satellites to LEO, expected by early 2018. https://t.co/ZVHksJxX40
— IridiumIR (@IridiumIR) January 31, 2017
According to Iridium CEO Matt Desch, NASA and Iridium will be sharing the eighth and final Iridium NEXT launch in order to take advantage of cost savings. This will be Iridium’s first ever ridesharing mission.
It's official: launching 75 of our 81 NEXT sats on a total of 8 Falcon 9s. Same cost through 2018 as last plan with Dnepr. Rideshare=smart! https://t.co/Tj1tt3pQ8K
— Matt Desch (@IridiumBoss) January 31, 2017
Also confirmed by Desch, nine of the satellites in orbit will be spares, and another six satellites of the 81 built will remain on the ground as spares. The eighth Falcon 9 launch is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by early 2018, as detailed in Iridium’s press release announcing the mission.
With SpaceX’s upcoming SES-10 mission using a refurbished first-stage booster (currently planned for March 2017), the question of whether any of the eight Iridium launches would be following suit was put forth. Desch responded to a Twitter inquiry on the matter, stating that all the contracted boosters would be new.
— Matt Desch (@IridiumBoss) January 31, 2017
SpaceX recently released a photo of the refurbished core to be used on the SES-10 mission after it successfully completed a static test fire.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP8zK2DFxhq
The satellite that will be joining Iridium’s flight is the Geosciences Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, a joint NASA/GFZ German Research Centre endeavor to expand and eventually replace the currently operating GRACE mission launched in 2002.
GRACE features two identical satellites named “Tom and Jerry” which follow one another in orbit at a specified distance while primarily measuring variations in Earth’s gravity field. GRACE-FO will be deployed into a separate low-Earth orbit from the Iridium payload.
Up next for SpaceX is its 10th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, tentatively scheduled for no earlier than February 14, 2017, followed by the rescheduled Echostar 23 launch at the end of February and the previously mentioned SES-10 in March.
Per #SpaceX email, it's official that CRS10 mission of #Dragon will be 1st flight from #LC39A at Kennedy in mid-February. @NASASpaceflight
— Chris G (@ChrisG_SpX) January 29, 2017
Elon Musk
Texas township wants The Boring Company to build it a Loop system
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge.”
The Woodlands Township, Texas, has formally entered The Boring Company’s tunneling sweepstakes.
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” which offers up to one mile of tunnel construction at no cost to a selected community.
The Woodlands’ proposal, dubbed “The Current,” features two parallel 12-foot-diameter tunnels beneath the Town Center corridor near The Waterway. Teslas would shuttle passengers between Waterway Square, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Town Green Park and nearby hotels during concerts and large-scale events, as noted in a Chron report.
Township officials framed the tunnel as a solution for the township’s traffic congestion issues. The Pavilion alone hosts more than 60 shows each year and can accommodate crowds of up to 16,500, often straining Lake Robbins Drive and surrounding intersections.
“We know we have traffic impacts and pedestrian movement challenges, especially in the Town Center area,” Chris Nunes, chief operating officer of The Woodlands Township, stated during the meeting.
“The Current” mirrors the Loop system operating beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Tesla vehicles transport passengers through underground tunnels between venues and resorts.
The Boring Company issued its request for proposals (RFP) in mid-January, inviting cities and districts to pitch local uses for its tunneling technology. The Woodlands must submit its application by Feb. 23, though no timeline has been provided for when a winning community will be announced.
Nunes confirmed that the board has authorized a submission for “The Current’s” proposal, though he emphasized that the project is still in its preliminary stages.
“The Woodlands Township Board of Directors has authorized staff to submit an application to The Boring Company, which has issued an RFP for communities interested in leveraging their technology to address community challenges,” he said in a statement.
“The Board believes that an underground tunnel would provide a safe and efficient means to transport people to and from various high-use community amenities in our Town Center.”
News
Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall.
The Tesla Model Y has been named 2026 Drive Car of the Year overall winner, taking the top honor after being judged as the vehicle that “moves the game forward the most for Australian new car buyers.”
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall, but the vehicle’s Juniper update strengthened its case with new ownership benefits and expanded software capability.
Drive’s overall award compares category winners and looks at which model most significantly advances the local new car market. In 2026, judges pointed to the Model Y’s five-year warranty and the availability of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a monthly subscription as key differentiators.
Priced from AU$58,900 before on-road costs, the all-electric crossover SUV offers a lot of value compared to similarly sized petrol and hybrid rivals. The ability to access Tesla’s Supercharger network across Australia also reduces friction for buyers moving to EV ownership.
Owners can add FSD (Supervised) for AU$149 per month. While it still requires driver oversight, the system expands the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance capabilities and reflects Tesla’s software-first approach.
“The default choice for a reason. The Tesla Model Y makes the transition to electric both effortless and rewarding,” Drive wrote.
The 2025 Model Y facelift also sharpened the vehicle’s exterior, highlighted by a distinctive rear light bar that gives the crossover SUV a more modern road presence.
Drive described the Model Y as a benchmark for combining practicality, efficiency and technology at an accessible price point. With eligibility for federal Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions through novated leasing, its value proposition has improved for numerous buyers.
For 2026, the Model Y’s combination of range efficiency, charging access and software capability proved decisive. Ultimately, the award all but cements the Model Y’s position as one of the most influential vehicles in Australia’s evolving new-car market today.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.