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SpaceX delivers truckload of Starlink dishes to Ukraine, as promised
The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine reports that a substantial truckload of Starlink dishes has arrived in the besieged country, fulfilling SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s promise about 48 hours after his first exchange.
There are already reports from Ukrainians that the satellite internet service is up and running in the country. Packed with at least 100-200 dishes, SpaceX’s delivery will thus hopefully ensure that thousands or even tens of thousands of Ukrainians will be able to stay connected to high-quality internet in the event that Russia’s invasion begins to a larger toll on the country’s connectivity infrastructure.
It’s not entirely clear how SpaceX’s Starlink internet constellation will reach Ukraine, a country with no known ground stations. To function, an active Starlink satellite must simultaneously have a direct line of sight to individual user terminals (dishes) and a larger ground station. Communications from individual dishes travel up to a nearby Starlink satellite, which then routes those communications to a local ground station connected to the rest of the global internet. Due to a combination of physical limits and regulations designed to prevent interference, Starlink users must generally be within ~250 miles of a ground station to connect to use the service.
One such ground station located in central Poland might barely cover a sliver of Western Ukraine. Otherwise, the only explanation is that SpaceX is continuing a sort of unplanned field test that began with the island nation of Tonga and is attempting to connect Ukrainian Starlink users to distant ground stations using communications lasers installed on a new generation of satellites. Put simply, by using those “optical interlinks” to route communications in space, new Starlink V1.5 satellites can technically connect users anywhere on Earth – including war-torn regions where access to otherwise routine infrastructure is no longer safe or guaranteed.
The only challenge is that SpaceX only appears to have about 100 fully operational Starlink V1.5 satellites in orbit. More than 300 other V1.5 satellites are still slowly raising their orbits and could take weeks or months to reach operational altitudes. On top of the unproven nature of Starlink’s large-scale orbital laser network, it’s likely that the service will be intermittent, inconsistent, and far from reliable. Of course, when the alternative is nothing, any solution becomes a good option. It may also be the case that a series of ground stations in Poland, Lithuania, and Turkey collectively cover most of Ukraine, in which case the service will likely be excellent.
Regardless, Ukrainians will face two additional challenges with Starlink. First, the dishes require quite a lot of power to run. If internet infrastructure is suffering, it’s safe to assume that electricity distribution may also be in rough shape, meaning that users might have to get creative to use Starlink internet. Somewhat related to that challenge, there’s also a significant risk that Starlink dishes could become shiny bullseyes for antiradiation weapons if Russia were to start targeting communications. The country has done exactly that in past conflicts, which makes the use of any high-powered communications system inadvisable for anything more than short, intermittent use.
Regardless, Ukraine has shown extraordinary resolve in the face of a truly nightmarish situation and it’s safe to say that Starlink dishes will become another useful tool in the country’s arsenal as it continues to defend against a chaotic Russian invasion.
News
Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk
Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.
Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.
“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated.
“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”
Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions.
The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles.
In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.
If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk estimates Tesla Semi could reach Europe next year
“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” Musk said.
Tesla is preparing to expand its all-electric Semi truck program to Europe, with CEO Elon Musk indicating that the Class 8 vehicle could arrive in the region 2027.
Musk shared his update during an interview about Giga Berlin with plant manager André Thierig, which was posted on X by the official Tesla Manufacturing account.
“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” he said.
Tesla has already begun limited production and customer deployments of the Tesla Semi in the United States, with the company working to scale output through the Semi factory near Giga Nevada. Considering Musk’s comments, it appears that a European rollout would be the next phase of the vehicle’s expansion beyond North America.
Musk’s use of the word “hopefully” leaves room for flexibility, but the remark signals that Europe is next in Tesla’s commercial expansion plans.
Musk has consistently argued that electrification should extend beyond passenger vehicles. During the same interview, he reiterated his view that “all ground transport should be electric,” adding that ships, and eventually aircraft, would follow.
The Semi plays a central role in that strategy. Heavy-duty freight remains one of the most emissions-intensive segments of road transport, and European regulators have increasingly pushed for lower-emission commercial fleets.
Tesla recently refreshed the Semi lineup on its official website, listing two variants: Standard and Long Range. The Standard trim offers up to 325 miles of range with an energy consumption rating of 1.7 kWh per mile, while the Long Range version provides up to 500 miles, which should be more than ample for European routes.
Elon Musk
Tesla Cybercab coming next to Giga Berlin, Optimus possibly after
“From a next major product standpoint, I think most likely is the Tesla Cybercab,” Musk said.
Tesla could add the Cybercab and Optimus humanoid robot to the production lineup at Giga Berlin, as per recent comments from CEO Elon Musk.
During a recent interview with Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig, Musk identified the Cybercab as the most likely next major product for the German factory, with Optimus potentially following after.
“From a next major product standpoint, I think most likely is the Tesla Cybercab,” Musk said. He added that there are also “possibilities of Tesla Optimus” being produced in the facility.
Tesla has already begun production of the Cybercab in Giga Texas, with volume production expected to ramp this year. Based on Musk’s comments, it appears that if conditions align in Europe, Giga Berlin could eventually join that effort.
The CEO’s comments about Optimus coming to Gigafactory Berlin are quite unsurprising too considering that Musk has mentioned in the past that the humanoid robot will likely be Tesla’s highest volume product in the long run.
Giga Berlin will likely be able to produce mass volumes of Optimus, as the Model S and Model X lines being converted to an Optimus line in the Fremont Factory are already expected to produce 1 million units of the humanoid robot annually.
Apart from his comments about the Cybercab and Optimus, Elon Musk also confirmed that Giga Berlin has started ramping battery cell production and will continue expanding Model Y output, particularly as supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) gains regulatory approvals in Europe.
Taken together, the remarks suggest Berlin’s role could evolve beyond vehicle assembly into a broader multi-product manufacturing hub, not just a regional Model Y plant.
Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk
Elon Musk estimates Tesla Semi could reach Europe next year
