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SpaceX talks results of ‘DarkSat’ coating aimed at reducing brightness of Starlink satellites
SpaceX successfully launched another batch of Starlink satellites into space on March 18, the fourth such launch this year. That brings the total number of internet-beaming satellites to 362, which includes two experimental ones. But ever since the initial batch got off the ground, astronomers and skywatchers have voiced concerns over the apparent brightness of the satellites.
That’s because the satellites appear in the night sky as a train of bright white dots marching across the sky. The sight is alarming to scientists who depend on clear skies in order to peer deep into space. Their concern is this: if the satellites are already interfering with telescope observations, what’s going to happen when there are 42,000 in orbit?
Initially, SpaceX has said its Starlink network will consist of 1,584 satellites, all operating in low Earth orbit. But the company has approval from the Federal Communications Commission for 12,000 satellites and could seek permission to launch 30,000 more. And they’re not the only company with space internet ambitions; OneWeb and Amazon have similar constellations planned.
To help assuage their concerns, SpaceX decided to test out an experimental coating that would reduce the brightness of its satellites. SpaceX tested it out on a previous launch, on one individual satellite, aptly named “DarkSat”.
During the live broadcast of the most recent Starlink mission, SpaceX representatives said that the experiment was somewhat successful and that the coating did help to reduce the satellite’s brightness. But SpaceX wanted to try other means to see which technique was the more effective.
“Preliminary results show a notable reduction,” said Jessica Anderson, one of the hosts of the webcast. But just how effective it is remains to be seen.
-->Astronomers in Chile measured the DarkSat’s brightness and compared it to the rest of the Starlink satellites. The findings show that the DarkSat was about 55% dimmer, which is good news for certain telescopes. Other telescopes, like the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory will need the brightness reduced even further as the sensitive optics would be greatly affected by the satellites zooming across the sky.
Astronomers ran computer simulations that showed that the Starlink satellites would not only show up as pronounced streaks across images, but would saturate the pixels in the detectors, causing other ghost-like artifacts to appear. Observatories like the Vera Rubin would need the satellites to be at least 10-20% darker to mitigate their effects.
During the broadcast, Anderson also explained that the company was looking into other ideas that could reduce the satellites’ reflectivity even further.
One of those other ideas is a sunshade. SpaceX didn’t divulge too many details, other than the fact the technology would be used on a future mission and that it would deploy like a patio umbrella from the satellite. How that compares to the coating on the DarkSat remains to be seen.
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News
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
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Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
-->For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
