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SpaceX lends Starlink to Washington emergency services as Elon Musk talks IPO
SpaceX has provided Washington’s Emergency Management department access to Starlink satellite internet service in a bid to support the state’s emergency response to dangerous wildfires.
Though the customer is technically a military department, this is the first public announcement of the internet constellation’s use in a civil service-oriented role. In the case of Malden, WA, a tiny eastern town with roughly 200 residents, a wildfire broke out in the first week of September and all but destroyed every building in a matter of hours. No fatalities have been recorded but the town and all its critical services effectively ceased to exist by the time the first passed through.
Given the sheer scale of fire damage Washington state has suffered this summer, Malden – without power or many other utilities after the fire passed through – is likely being held together with the support of emergency services departments like WA Emergency Management. Now, with SpaceX’s help, that likely includes the ability to provide some limited internet service – perhaps in a communal center or shelter – without spending an unreasonable portion of the precious little resources most emergency response agencies have to work with.
While still firmly in the development and prototype phase, SpaceX has begun to gradually expand the scope of its beta testing as the Starlink constellation expands, building off of an already strong relationship with the US military. That helps explain why, of so many possible civil recipients, WA Emergency Management – a military department – has received access to Starlink internet services first.
As SpaceX has made sure to reiterate during its many Starlink launch webcasts, the constellation’s main target demographics are those in regions that either completely or practically lack access to reliable internet. With a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation like Starlink, SpaceX could feasibly deliver reliable, uninterrupted internet almost anywhere on Earth, so long as a prospective user has access to enough power to run their user terminal (antenna/router). According to SpaceX’s FCC application for said terminal, A/C power input requirements should never climb above 2.5 amps from a normal 100-240v outlet.
Ultimately, the second planned phase of Starlink will see the constellation grow to a point that SpaceX can seriously begin competing with ground-based ISPs – even in densely-populated areas. For now, though, the company has made it clear that the first phase – at least several thousand satellites -will primarily focus on connecting the unconnected and substantially upgrading the capabilities of emergency responders around the world.
Confirming President/COO Gwynne Shotwell’s February 2020 comments on a possible Starlink IPO, CEO Elon Musk reiterated that SpaceX may eventually spin off Starlink and make the company public, “but only several years in the future.” This is far from surprising, as Musk has consistently expressed disdain for the challenge of running Tesla as a public company, going so far as getting himself in hot legal water in an ill-fated attempt to take the company private in 2018.
Going public is possibly the single worst thing SpaceX or any SpaceX spin-off could do, given that shareholders generally have a single goal in mind: reliable profit and reliable growth. That attitude is generally the death knell for high-uncertainty R&D programs pursuing the first low Earth orbit Internet satellite constellation, reusable orbital-class rockets, 100-person Starships, or bases on the Moon and Mars. As such, Musk notes that SpaceX will consider taking Starlink public – but if and only if Starlink reaches a point where “revenue growth is smooth & predictable.” Shotwell and Musk, in other words, are on the same page.
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Tesla confirms that it finally solved its 4680 battery’s dry cathode process
The suggests the company has finally resolved one of the most challenging aspects of its next-generation battery cells.
Tesla has confirmed that it is now producing both the anode and cathode of its 4680 battery cells using a dry-electrode process, marking a key breakthrough in a technology the company has been working to industrialize for years.
The update, disclosed in Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 update letter, suggests the company has finally resolved one of the most challenging aspects of its next-generation battery cells.
Dry cathode 4680 cells
In its Q4 and FY 2025 update letter, Tesla stated that it is now producing 4680 cells whose anode and cathode were produced during the dry electrode process. The confirmation addresses long-standing questions around whether Tesla could bring its dry cathode process into sustained production.
The disclosure was highlighted on X by Bonne Eggleston, Tesla’s Vice President of 4680 batteries, who wrote that “both electrodes use our dry process.”
Tesla first introduced the dry-electrode concept during its Battery Day presentation in 2020, pitching it as a way to simplify production, reduce factory footprint, lower costs, and improve energy density. While Tesla has been producing 4680 cells for some time, the company had previously relied on more conventional approaches for parts of the process, leading to questions about whether a full dry-electrode process could even be achieved.
4680 packs for Model Y
Tesla also revealed in its Q4 and FY 2025 Update Letter that it has begun producing battery packs for certain Model Y vehicles using its in-house 4680 cells. As per Tesla:
“We have begun to produce battery packs for certain Model Ys with our 4680 cells, unlocking an additional vector of supply to help navigate increasingly complex supply chain challenges caused by trade barriers and tariff risks.”
The timing is notable. With Tesla preparing to wind down Model S and Model X production, the Model Y and Model 3 are expected to account for an even larger share of the company’s vehicle output. Ensuring that the Model Y can be equipped with domestically produced 4680 battery packs gives Tesla greater flexibility to maintain production volumes in the United States, even as global battery supply chains face increasing complexity.
Elon Musk
Tesla Giga Texas to feature massive Optimus V4 production line
This suggests that while the first Optimus line will be set up in the Fremont Factory, the real ramp of Optimus’ production will happen in Giga Texas.
Tesla will build Optimus 4 in Giga Texas, and its production line will be massive. This was, at least, as per recent comments by CEO Elon Musk on social media platform X.
Optimus 4 production
In response to a post on X which expressed surprise that Optimus will be produced in California, Musk stated that “Optimus 4 will be built in Texas at much higher volume.” This suggests that while the first Optimus line will be set up in the Fremont Factory, and while the line itself will be capable of producing 1 million humanoid robots per year, the real ramp of Optimus’ production will happen in Giga Texas.
This was not the first time that Elon Musk shared his plans for Optimus’ production at Gigafactory Texas. During the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, he stated that Giga Texas’ Optimus line will produce 10 million units of the humanoid robot per year. He did not, however, state at the time that Giga Texas would produce Optimus V4.
“So we’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk stated.
How big Optimus could become
During Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call, Musk offered additional context on the potential of Optimus. While he stated that the ramp of Optimus’ production will be deliberate at first, the humanoid robot itself will have the potential to change the world.
“Optimus really will be a general-purpose robot that can learn by observing human behavior. You can demonstrate a task or verbally describe a task or show it a task. Even show it a video, it will be able to do that task. It’s going to be a very capable robot. I think long-term Optimus will have a very significant impact on the US GDP.
“It will actually move the needle on US GDP significantly. In conclusion, there are still many who doubt our ambitions for creating amazing abundance. We are confident it can be done, and we are making the right moves technologically to ensure that it does. Tesla, Inc. has never been a company to shy away from solving the hardest problems,” Musk stated.
Elon Musk
Rumored SpaceX-xAI merger gets apparent confirmation from Elon Musk
The comment follows reports that the rocket maker is weighing a transaction that could further consolidate Musk’s space and AI ventures.
Elon Musk appeared to confirm reports that SpaceX is exploring a potential merger with artificial intelligence startup xAI by responding positively to a post about the reported transaction on X.
Musk’s comment follows reports that the rocket maker is weighing a transaction that could further consolidate his space and AI ventures.
SpaceX xAI merger
As per a recent Reuters report, SpaceX has held discussions about merging with xAI, with the proposed structure potentially involving an exchange of xAI shares for SpaceX stock. The value, structure, and timing of any deal have not been finalized, and no agreement has been signed.
Musk appeared to acknowledge the report in a brief reply on X, responding “Yeah” to a post that described SpaceX as a future “Dyson Swarm company.” The comment references a Dyson Swarm, a sci-fi megastructure concept that consists of a massive network of satellites or structures that orbit a celestial body to harness its energy.
Reuters noted that two entities were formed in Nevada on January 21 to facilitate a potential transaction for the possible SpaceX-xAI merger. The discussions remain ongoing, and a transaction is not yet guaranteed, however.
AI and space infrastructure
A potential merger with xAI would align with Musk’s stated strategy of integrating artificial intelligence development with space-based systems. Musk has previously said that space-based infrastructure could support large-scale computing by leveraging continuous solar energy, an approach he has framed as economically scalable over time.
xAI already has operational ties to Musk’s other companies. The startup develops Grok, a large language model that holds a U.S. Department of Defense contract valued at up to $200 million. AI also plays a central role in SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite programs, which rely on automation and machine learning for network management and national security applications.
Musk has previously consolidated his businesses through share-based transactions, including Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 and xAI’s acquisition of X last year. Bloomberg has also claimed that Musk is considering a merger between SpaceX and Tesla in the future.
Tesla confirms that it finally solved its 4680 battery’s dry cathode process
Tesla Giga Texas to feature massive Optimus V4 production line
