

News
SpaceX sends 20 more Starlink satellites to orbit in successful launch
SpaceX sent 20 additional Starlink satellites to orbit in yet another successful launch, this time from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The launch took place earlier this morning, as the Falcon 9 first-stage booster with tail number B1075 took off at 6:50 a.m. PDT. This mission, which was Starlink 9-17, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East.
This was the 13th takeoff for this particular Falcon 9 first-stage, previously supporting the Transporter-11 rideshare mission, SDA-0A for the Space Development Agency, and nine Starlink launches, Spaceflight Now said.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/u4pefHLdda
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 20, 2024
SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the satellites just before 8 a.m. PDT, just about an hour and ten minutes following liftoff.
Just eight and a half minutes after liftoff, B1075 had a successful touchdown and landing on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ droneship in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 102nd booster landing on that droneship and the 350th for SpaceX overall.
Falcon 9’s first stage lands on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship pic.twitter.com/da173czlNV
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 20, 2024
SpaceX has now put over 7,000 Starlink launches into low Earth orbit, providing high-speed internet access to people everywhere.
From rural areas to maritime applications to an expanded number of airlines, Starlink is providing high-speed internet to people in various situations, and it is truly becoming more widespread every week as SpaceX continues to deploy more satellites to the constellation.
Starlink is available on over 2,500 airplanes across numerous airlines. Most recently, SpaceX struck a deal with United Airlines to have Starlink provide more reliable internet access with better speeds on their flights.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Tesla rolls out update to Robotaxi service that makes pickups so much better
The update was confirmed by CEO Elon Musk in a post on social media platform X.

Tesla has rolled out a minor update to its Robotaxi service that will likely make the driverless ride-hailing system notably better and more convenient for consumers. The update was confirmed by CEO Elon Musk in a post on social media platform X.
Robotaxi service updates
The Robotaxi update was observed by users of the driverless ride-hailing service over the weekend. As observed by Tesla enthusiast Owen Sparks, the Austin Robotaxi fleet no longer strictly navigates to the pickup point listed on the app. Instead, the Robotaxis now stop in the exact location of a user’s phone.
Elon Musk confirmed the update, noting in a post on X that the change was an upgrade to the service. It’s a reactively minor update in the grand scheme of things, but it should make the Robotaxi service feel more organic and humanlike.
Driverless taxis
Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin has been receiving good reviews from users since it was launched, with many praising the vehicles for their cautious and humanlike behavior. Some users on social media even noted that Tesla’s Robotaxis feel safer on the road than cars from services like Uber, which are manually driven.
Tesla’s minor updates to its Robotaxi service are expected to make the customer experience of the driverless ride-hailing service more refined. By doing so, Tesla could ease customers into its service, even if only a fraction of ride-hailing users are familiar with fully autonomous cars. With this in mind, even small updates like picking up customers based on their specific phone location will likely go a long way towards making Tesla’s Robotaxis more accepted by the general public.
News
Tesla sells 3 million Model 3 since 2017, one in every 1.5 minutes
This translates to one Model 3 being sold every 1.5 minutes on average for the past eight years.

Tesla has announced that the Model 3 sedan has sold 3 million units since it started customer deliveries in 2017. As per the electric vehicle maker, this translates to one Model 3 being sold every 1.5 minutes on average for the past eight years.
Massive Milestone
Tesla China VP Grace Tao announced the Model 3’s milestone on Weibo, highlighting that the all-electric sedan has been a tried and tested vehicle that has earned accolades throughout its tenure. She also highlighted that in a recent test, Car and Driver gave the Model 3 a perfect score.
“Model 3 has become the choice of more than 3 million car owners worldwide, and has won the global pure electric sedan sales champion for seven consecutive years,” Tao wrote in her Weibo post.
She also invited everyone to try and test drive the Model 3 sedan, so they could experience the vehicle personally. “Everyone is welcome to come to the store to test drive and experience this global car and champion car,” the Tesla executive added.
Tesla’s Mainstream Bet
There was once a time when Tesla’s future relied on the Model 3’s success. When the Model 3 was unveiled, Tesla was still gaining its footing as a premium automaker that produces the Model S and Model X. The Model 3 was the company’s first mass-market car, and it was Tesla’s first foray into serious mass production. At the time, it was no exaggeration to state that Tesla’s survival depended on the Model 3.
The Model 3’s runaway success was a victory not just for Tesla but for the overall electric vehicle sector as a whole. Because the Model 3 was simply a great car, electric or otherwise, it was able to prove that there is serious demand for reasonably-priced mass market EVs. It was also able to pave the way for the Model Y, Tesla’s mass market all-electric crossover that ultimately became the world’s best-selling car in 2023 and 2024.
Investor's Corner
Tesla ‘Model Q’ gets bold prediction from Deutsche Bank that investors will love
Tesla’s Model Q could be on the way soon, and a new note from Deutsche Bank thinks it will contribute to Q4 deliveries.

The Tesla “Model Q” has been in the rumor mill for the company for several years, but a recent note from Wall Street firm Deutsche Bank seems to indicate that it could be on its way in the near future.
This comes as Tesla has been indicating for several quarters that its development of affordable models was “on track” for the first half of 2025. The company did not say it would unveil the vehicles in the first half, but many are anticipating that more cost-friendly models could be revealed to the public soon.
Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas
The Deutsche Bank note refers to one of the rumored affordable models as the “Model Q,” but we’ve also seen it referred to as the “Model 2,” amongst other names. Tesla has not officially coined any of its upcoming vehicles as such, but these are more of a universally accepted phrase to identify them, at least for now.
The rumors stem from sentiments regarding Tesla’s 2025 delivery projections, which are tempered as the company seeks to maintain a steady pace compared to 2023 and 2024, when it reported 1.8 million deliveries.
Deutsche Bank’s analysts believe the deliveries could be around 1.58 million, but they state this is a cautious stance that could be impacted by several things, including the potential launch of the Model Q, which they believe will make its way to market in Q4:
“Looking at the rest of the year, we maintain a cautious stance on volume calling for 1.58m vehicle deliveries (-12% YoY) vs. consensus +1.62m, with the timing of Model Q rollout as the key swing factor (we now assume only 25k in Q4). In China, Tesla will introduce the Model Y L this fall (6 inch longer wheel base allowing for larger 3-row seating with six seats).”
Interestingly, the same firm also predicted that the Model Q would launch in the first half of the year based on a note that was released in early December 2024.
Those estimations came from a reported meeting that Deutsche Bank had with Tesla late last year, where it said it aimed to launch the Model Q for less than $30,000 and aimed for it to compete with cars like the Volkswagen ID.3 and BYD Dolphin.
Tesla’s Q2 Earnings Call is slated for this Wednesday and could reveal some additional details about the affordable models.
-
Elon Musk4 days ago
Waymo responds to Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion in Austin with bold statement
-
News4 days ago
Tesla exec hints at useful and potentially killer Model Y L feature
-
Elon Musk5 days ago
Elon Musk reveals SpaceX’s target for Starship’s 10th launch
-
Elon Musk6 days ago
Tesla ups Robotaxi fare price to another comical figure with service area expansion
-
News4 days ago
Tesla’s longer Model Y did not scale back requests for this vehicle type from fans
-
News4 days ago
“Worthy of respect:” Six-seat Model Y L acknowledged by Tesla China’s biggest rivals
-
News5 days ago
First glimpse of Tesla Model Y with six seats and extended wheelbase
-
Elon Musk5 days ago
Elon Musk confirms Tesla is already rolling out a new feature for in-car Grok