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SpaceX is hiring a Spaceport resort developer for its Texas rocket factory

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SpaceX has big plans to ferry travelers to Mars in the near future, and part of that venture looks to include luxury accommodations while customers spend time with the company on Earth. A recent job board posting for a “Resort Development Manager” has come to light, specifically referring to a project at the launch provider’s Boca Chica Village location in Texas.

“SpaceX is committed to developing this town into a 21st century Spaceport. We are looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceX’s first resort from inception to completion,” the posting states. Notably, SpaceX is looking for candidates with experience in “high end brand luxury development,” which is perhaps a nod towards the types of customers the company expects to attract.

A small coastal community located on Texas’s southernmost tip, Boca Chica Village is where SpaceX has been developing and testing the company’s Mars-bound rocket named Starship. Facility development at the site has gone quite fast over the last few months, as is the usual Elon Musk-led company fashion, featuring new semi-automated welding machines, upgraded production equipment, and two massive sprung structures (i.e. tents). A ramp in hiring also began in February this year, including a career day to staff production shifts for 24/7 operations.

Starship at Boca Chica. (Image: BocaChicaGal/NasaSpaceflight)

SpaceX’s rocket factory in Texas has gained a bit of notoriety since moving into the area, specifically when a Starship prototype (SN4) exploded following a static fire test in May this year. However, it looks as though most of the (literal) kinks have been worked out, culminating in a picture-perfect hop test last week. This latest test was preceded by several several prototype and tank tests, and SpaceX is now quickly moving forward with yet another prototype (SN8) build from a different steel alloy altogether.

The Texas and Florida-based rocket maker specifically labeling its new project as a Spaceport may be related to a goal Musk previously referenced. “SpaceX is building floating, superheavy-class spaceports for Mars, moon & hypersonic travel around Earth,” the CEO stated on Twitter in June. He was replying to a tweet describing yet another job board posting, this one for “Offshore Operations Engineers” to work at the Texas site.

Starship SN5 hop debut 080420 (SpaceX)

SpaceX published concepts for floating launch facilities in 2017 which measured at least 300m (1000 ft) long and about 100m (330 ft) wide, and they are assumed to be the floating ports in question. The size of the intended rockets to be serviced on the pads would also hint towards being several miles off shore for safety purposes. But in another interesting difference, including the “Resort” in the most recent job description may further indicate either an expansion to the rocket island concept or a separate project entirely.

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A comparable destination may be Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world, located in New Mexico. That facility comprises 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace, a 12,000 foot runway, and vertical launch complexes to support multiple customers needing aerospace testing and launch capabilities. Visitors may only come for guided tours of the Spaceport, however, as it’s closed off to the public for a variety of legal and security reasons. If SpaceX’s Spaceport has similar restrictions, perhaps the Resort will be for space-bound customers and business relations only.

Every autumn since the 2016 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Musk has presented an annual update on the status of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship launch vehicle. The tradition looks to be continued this September, as indicated in a recent tweet by the CEO, despite challenges brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic. Details about future Resort plans will hopefully be provided at that time.

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Cybertruck

Tesla upfitter offers to keep Cybertruck alive

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Credit: Unplugged Performance

A Tesla upfitter has offered to take over Cybertruck lines from the company in a last-ditch effort to save the all-electric pickup from being completely canceled in the middle of 2027.

Unplugged Performance, the Hawthorne, California-based Tesla aftermarket specialist, has publicly offered to take over Cybertruck production from Tesla, funding the effort “through a consortium of investors.”

The proposal comes as Tesla prioritizes its Cybercab Robotaxi program and prepares to wind down Cybertruck assembly at Gigafactory Texas around mid-2027.

Founded in 2013 by Ben Schaffer and located adjacent to Tesla’s Design Studio and SpaceX, Unplugged Performance has become a leading provider of premium upgrades for Tesla vehicles, including extensive Cybertruck packages under its UP INVINCIBLE line.

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Through its UP.FIT division, the company has also developed purpose-built police and fleet versions of the Cybertruck, including deliveries to agencies such as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

In an X post on Tuesday, Unplugged said:

“An open offer to Tesla: We fully support putting Cybercab first, and we’d be glad to take the Cybertruck line off your hands. We’d fund it with a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla’s floor space, headcount, or focus. All of that goes to Cybercab. Cybercab gets first call on battery cells too. We’ll wait our turn. Tesla gains incremental profit: a license fee, plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenues on every vehicle built. We’d build the Cybertruck, a three-row CyberSUV, and an unmanned CyberCargo hauler. More autonomous miles, across every surface of this planet and beyond. Worth a conversation?”

The arrangement would free Tesla resources and manufacturing capacity for Cybercab while allowing continued production of the stainless-steel pickup and expanded variants. Unplugged Performance indicated it would wait for battery cells after Cybercab needs are met and would generate ongoing revenue for Tesla through licensing and software/network services on the vehicles it produces.

Following strong initial interest, Unplugged Performance posted a follow-up inviting potential investors and strategic partners to email cyber@unpluggedperformance.com. The company clarified that the outreach is solely to gauge interest and does not constitute an offer to sell securities or acceptance of funds at this stage.

The proposal arrives shortly after Elon Musk indicated that Cybertruck production in Texas would be phased out by roughly the middle of 2027 to expand Cybercab output.

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Whether Tesla engages with the offer remains to be seen, but the public overture highlights both the aftermarket specialist’s deep experience with the Cybertruck platform and the growing focus on autonomy within Tesla’s manufacturing plans.

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Elon Musk says Tesla Cybercab future is ‘obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain’

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Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybercab will perform “a majority of all passenger miles” where it is allowed to operate and that point is “obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.”

Musk used the point to double down on the company’s decision to ax the cult-favorite Cybertruck, as its production space will be removed and transitioned into additional Cybercab lines. The move has catalyzed a polarizing conversation on whether its right or wrong.

Whatever side you are on — it’s happening.

Regardless, Musk seems to be getting to the point that he is done talking about the choice. At some point, you have to think that this was truly a difficult decision for him and the company as well, and this is not something he took lightly. In fact, he’s probably a little bit disappointed with it, too.

But the point remains that the Cybertruck is gone. Musk’s focus is purely on developing an autonomous platform that the world will utilize for transportation, and he’s telling you that anyone “with eyes and a brain” can see it:

Tesla is betting that all of its passengers in the future will be okay with not owning their own personal cars and will be fine with ride-hailing for the rest of their lives. Every dinner, every errand, every trip to the airport and transportation thereafter, will all be operated by ride-sharing, and in Tesla’s perfect world, it will happen in a Cybercab.

As of now, Cybercab is only active in Austin, but it has been spotted all over the country with a driver behind the wheel in those prototypes. In Austin, the car has no steering wheel or pedals for people to control the vehicle.

The Cybertruck dilemma is one that has truly come across the entire Tesla community and while it seems to be a great idea to keep it because people love it, the business side of things is steering Musk and Tesla in another direction.

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Tesla slims Cybertruck offerings to only its most expensive trim

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Credit: u/dregonzz/Reddit

Tesla has slimmed its Cybertruck offerings to offer only its most expensive trim: the Cyberbeast.

After announcing that the Cybertruck would no longer be produced and the company would wind down manufacturing sometime in the middle of 2027, Tesla started to eliminate some of the configurations offered to customers.

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Now, only one remains: the $109,990 Cyberbeast. This is truly what seems like Tesla’s last effort to deter any remaining orders from coming in: eliminate the cheap trims and leave only the high-dollar vehicle within the lineup of Cybertruck options.

Those who want to take advantage of this last-ditch opportunity to own Tesla’s symbolic pickup have to pay to play.

Tesla says the reason for the wind down is truly because of Cybercab and its importance to the future.

Despite cries for Tesla to continue production of the pickup, Musk says it is too difficult to ramp a high-volume line instead of ending the truck altogether. He also says Cybercab is what will take passengers around for the “majority of all miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.”

Tesla is going all in on autonomy, and that’s never been a secret. But the commitment to a two-door, two-seat Cybercab truly limits people from having options for labor or hobbies. It also limits people from having their entire family in a single car.

Parents with even a single child will be required to take multiple vehicles if Cybercab is truly the only option Tesla plans to have.

Elon Musk keeps justifying Tesla Cybertruck’s cancelation, but it’s confusing

Tesla has stated the Robovan will also be in production eventually, but it still does not seem like the most ideal vehicle to own. It seems like it is geared more toward commercial uses, but Tesla might have something in the pipeline for families.

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