News
SpaceX ships head to sea for fifth upgraded GPS satellite launch [webcast]
Two SpaceX ships have headed to sea to recover parts of Falcon 9 after the rocket’s fifth upgraded GPS III satellite launch for the US military.
On Tuesday, SpaceX confirmed that Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch GPS III Space Vehicle 06 (SV06) no earlier than (NET) 7:10 am EST (12:10 UTC) on Wednesday, January 18th. Built by Lockheed Martin for an average of $610 million each [PDF], the payload is the sixth of ten upgraded GPS III satellites and weighs around 4.35 tons (~9600 lb). Its eventual destination is a circular Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) around 20,200 kilometers (12,550 mi) above Earth’s surface, where it will join dozens of other GPS satellites.
If past trends continue, SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket will be tasked with launching GPS III SV06 to a transfer orbit measuring around 400 kilometers by 20,200 kilometers. The satellite will then use its own propulsion system and propellant to raise its perigee and enter a circular, operational orbit.
The update that's rolling out to the fleet makes full use of the front and rear steering travel to minimize turning circle. In this case a reduction of 1.6 feet just over the air— Wes (@wmorrill3) April 16, 2024
SpaceX will then attempt to recover Falcon 9’s reusable booster on drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG), which will be stationed about 640 kilometers (~400 mi) northeast of the company’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station LC-40 launch pad. ASOG was towed to sea on Friday, January 13th. Used once before to launch four astronauts on SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, Falcon 9 B1077 will reportedly launch GPS III SV06, becoming the second flight-proven rocket to launch a GPS III satellite.
770 kilometers (~460 mi) downrange, recovery ship Doug – which left port on January 15th – will try to fish Falcon 9’s GPS III SV06 payload fairing halves out of the ocean for reuse. Fairing recovery and reuse have quietly become almost as reliable and routine as Falcon booster recovery. SpaceX is still the only company or group to successfully reuse an orbital-class rocket’s fairing.
GPS III SV06 will be SpaceX’s fifth upgraded GPS satellite launch since December 2018. The mission is part of a block of four contracts that represent a minor revolution in US military launch procurement. During SpaceX’s first GPS III launch, the company was forced to expend an entire Falcon 9 rocket – likely out of an abundance of caution and at the request of the US Air Force. For its three subsequent GPS III launches, SpaceX was able to recover each Falcon 9 booster while still launching the payload to the same orbit as the first expendable mission.
Soon after that first success, SpaceX won a contract worth $290.5 million for three more GPS III launches. At some point, the US military reassessed the situation and decided that SpaceX’s reusable Falcon boosters were becoming reliable enough to safely launch military payloads. The Space Force ultimately renegotiated its contract with SpaceX to allow the company to launch GPS III SV05 and SV06 on reused Falcon 9 boosters, reducing the total cost to the taxpayer to $226.5 million.
After GPS III SV06, the Space Force only has one GPS III launch contract left – using a ULA Vulcan rocket that has yet to fly. The three remaining GPS III satellites still need launch contracts, and the first tranche of ten GPS III satellites will be followed by up to 22 GPS IIIF Follow On satellites that will also need launches. Given the company’s track record and lower prices, SpaceX will likely be tasked with launching a large portion of those future satellites throughout the 2020s and into the 2030s.
Tune in below around 6:55 am EST (11:55 UTC) to watch SpaceX’s fifth GPS III launch live.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Boring Company opens Vegas Loop’s newest station
The Fontainebleau is the latest resort on the Las Vegas Strip to embrace the tunneling startup’s underground transportation system.
Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, The Boring Company, has welcomed its newest Vegas Loop station at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The Fontainebleau is the latest resort on the Las Vegas Strip to embrace the tunneling startup’s underground transportation system.
Fontainebleau Loop station
The new Vegas Loop station is located on level V-1 of the Fontainebleau’s south valet area, as noted in a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. According to the resort, guests will be able to travel free of charge to the stations serving the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as to Loop stations in Encore and Westgate.
The Fontainebleau station connects to the Riviera Station, which is located in the northwest parking lot of the convention center’s West Hall. From there, passengers will be able to access the greater Vegas Loop.
Vegas Loop expansion
In December, The Boring Company began offering Vegas Loop rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport. Those trips include a limited above-ground segment, following approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority to allow surface street travel tied to Loop operations.
Under the approval, airport rides are limited to no more than four miles of surface street travel, and each trip must include a tunnel segment. The Vegas Loop currently includes more than 10 miles of tunnels. From this number, about four miles of tunnels are operational.
The Boring Company President Steve Davis previously told the Review-Journal that the University Center Loop segment, which is currently under construction, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. That extension would allow Loop vehicles to travel beneath Paradise Road between the convention center and the airport, with a planned station located just north of Tropicana Avenue.
News
Tesla leases new 108k-sq ft R&D facility near Fremont Factory
The lease adds to Tesla’s presence near its primary California manufacturing hub as the company continues investing in autonomy and artificial intelligence.
Tesla has expanded its footprint near its Fremont Factory by leasing a 108,000-square-foot R&D facility in the East Bay.
The lease adds to Tesla’s presence near its primary California manufacturing hub as the company continues investing in autonomy and artificial intelligence.
A new Fremont lease
Tesla will occupy the entire building at 45401 Research Ave. in Fremont, as per real estate services firm Colliers. The transaction stands as the second-largest R&D lease of the fourth quarter, trailing only a roughly 115,000-square-foot transaction by Figure AI in San Jose.
As noted in a Silicon Valley Business Journal report, Tesla’s new Fremont lease was completed with landlord Lincoln Property Co., which owns the facility. Colliers stated that Tesla’s Fremont expansion reflects continued demand from established technology companies that are seeking space for engineering, testing, and specialized manufacturing.
Tesla has not disclosed which of its business units will be occupying the building, though Colliers has described the property as suitable for office and R&D functions. Tesla has not issued a comment about its new Fremont lease as of writing.
AI investments
Silicon Valley remains a key region for automakers as vehicles increasingly rely on software, artificial intelligence, and advanced electronics. Erin Keating, senior director of economics and industry insights at Cox Automotive, has stated that Tesla is among the most aggressive auto companies when it comes to software-driven vehicle development.
Other automakers have also expanded their presence in the area. Rivian operates an autonomy and core technology hub in Palo Alto, while GM maintains an AI center of excellence in Mountain View. Toyota is also relocating its software and autonomy unit to a newly upgraded property in Santa Clara.
Despite these expansions, Colliers has noted that Silicon Valley posted nearly 444,000 square feet of net occupancy losses in Q4 2025, pushing overall vacancy to 11.2%.
In Pennsylvania, we got between 10 and 12 inches of snow over the weekend as a nasty Winter storm ripped through a large portion of the country, bringing snow to some areas and nasty ice storms to others.
I have had a Model Y Performance for the week courtesy of Tesla, which got the car to me last Monday. Today was my last full day with it before I take it back to my local showroom, and with all the accumulation on it, I decided to run a cool little experiment: How long would it take for Tesla’s Defrost feature to melt 8 inches of snow?
Tesla’s Defrost feature is one of the best and most underrated that the car has in its arsenal. While every car out there has a defrost setting, Tesla’s can be activated through the Smartphone App and is one of the better-performing systems in my opinion.
It has come in handy a lot through the Fall and Winter, helping clear up my windshield more efficiently while also clearing up more of the front glass than other cars I’ve owned.
The test was simple: don’t touch any of the ice or snow with my ice scraper, and let the car do all the work, no matter how long it took. Of course, it would be quicker to just clear the ice off manually, but I really wanted to see how long it would take.
Tesla Model Y heat pump takes on Model S resistive heating in defrosting showdown
Observations
I started this test at around 10:30 a.m. It was still pretty cloudy and cold out, and I knew the latter portion of the test would get some help from the Sun as it was expected to come out around noon, maybe a little bit after.
I cranked it up and set my iPhone up on a tripod, and activated the Time Lapse feature in the Camera settings.
The rest of the test was sitting and waiting.
It didn’t take long to see some difference. In fact, by the 20-minute mark, there was some notable melting of snow and ice along the sides of the windshield near the A Pillar.
However, this test was not one that was “efficient” in any manner; it took about three hours and 40 minutes to get the snow to a point where I would feel comfortable driving out in public. In no way would I do this normally; I simply wanted to see how it would do with a massive accumulation of snow.
It did well, but in the future, I’ll stick to clearing it off manually and using the Defrost setting for clearing up some ice before the gym in the morning.
Check out the video of the test below:
❄️ How long will it take for the Tesla Model Y Performance to defrost and melt ONE FOOT of snow after a blizzard?
Let’s find out: pic.twitter.com/Zmfeveap1x
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 26, 2026
Elon Musk’s Boring Company opens Vegas Loop’s newest station
Tesla leases new 108k-sq ft R&D facility near Fremont Factory
