News
SpaceX planning docs reveal Starship's April Fools' Day testing plans
Planning emails published by Cameron County, Texas officials have revealed a more detailed picture of SpaceX’s April Fools’ Day Starship testing plans.
Published soon after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed that six landing legs have already been installed on Starship SN3, county documents noted that SpaceX has two Starship tests planned on April 1st. The second test is contingent upon the successful completion of the first, which is scheduled to begin as early as 4pm CDT (21:00 UTC).
SpaceX has built up Starship SN3 – the third full-scale prototype to make it to testing – from a handful a separate steel rings into a ~30m (100 ft) tall, 9m (30 ft) wide rocket. Technically, the hardware SpaceX transported from its Boca Chica, Texas factory to an adjacent launch pad on March 29th is just the bottom ~60% of Starship SN3, but it’s undoubtedly the most important part of the ship. The SN3 tank and engine section now installed on a launch mount represents the business half (give or take) of Starship, itself just the upper stage and spacecraft of SpaceX’s next-generation, fully-reusable rocket.
Previous full-scale Starship testing – attempted with the Mk1 and SN1 prototypes on November 2019 and February 2020, respectively – have not gone according to plan. However, for each recent Starship testing failure, SpaceX has subsequently completed one or several ‘proof’ tests with smaller tanks, proving that improved construction methods are technically up to the tasks required of them. Most notably, SpaceX completed two Starship tank pressure tests in January 2020, consecutively reaching ~7.5 and ~8.5 bar (110 and 125 psi) – the latter representing a full 40% safety margin on top of the 6 bar minimum Starship needs for orbital flight.
Most recently, SpaceX completed its third Starship test tank campaign in mid-March, proving less than two weeks later that the design fault that destroyed Starship SN1 had already been rectified. Now, Starship SN3 sits at the same test site, representing the hopeful culmination of the many lessons SpaceX has learned from its prolific testing over the last five months.
Now, Starship SN3’s first series of ground tests are scheduled to begin as early as 4pm CDT, just half an hour or so from the time this article was published. According to documents shared by Cameron County, SpaceX’s plan is to begin with a room-temperature gas test, likely pressurizing Starship SN3 with nitrogen to check for leaks. By testing with gas (instead of water), completing the initial test would leave Starship free to immediately proceed to a more ambitious test. This is precisely SpaceX’s plan: if Starship passes the nitrogen gas test, Starship SN3 could begin a cryogenic liquid nitrogen proof test just three hours later, kicking off no earlier than 8pm CDT (01:00 UTC, April 2).
Featuring a brand new 4K camera, local resident and SpaceX fan LabPadre’s live stream should offer some exceptional, uninterrupted views if or when SpaceX kicks off Starship SN3’s first tests later today.
Energy
Tesla Powerwall distribution expands in Australia
Inventory is expected to arrive in late February and official sales are expected to start mid-March 2026.
Supply Partners Group has secured a distribution agreement for the Tesla Powerwall in Australia, with inventory expected to arrive in late February and official sales beginning in mid-March 2026.
Under the new agreement, Supply Partners will distribute Tesla Powerwall units and related accessories across its national footprint, as noted in an ecogeneration report. The company said the addition strengthens its position as a distributor focused on premium, established brands.
“We are proud to officially welcome Tesla Powerwall into the Supply Partners portfolio,” Lliam Ricketts, Co-Founder and Director of Innovation at Supply Partners Group, stated.
“Tesla sets a high bar, and we’ve worked hard to earn the opportunity to represent a brand that customers actively ask for. This partnership reflects the strength of our logistics, technical services and customer experience, and it’s a win for installers who want premium options they can trust.”
Supply Partners noted that initial Tesla Powerwall stock will be warehoused locally before full commercial rollout in March. The distributor stated that the timing aligns with renewed growth momentum for the Powerwall, supported by competitive installer pricing, consumer rebates, and continued product and software updates.
“Powerwall is already a category-defining product, and what’s ahead makes it even more compelling,” Ricketts stated. “As pricing sharpens and capability expands, we see a clear runway for installers to confidently spec Powerwall for premium residential installs, backed by Supply Partners’ national distribution footprint and service model.”
Supply Partners noted that a joint go-to-market launch is planned, including Tesla-led training for its sales and technical teams to support installers during the home battery system’s domestic rollout.
Elon Musk
Tesla Giga Berlin growth could stall if not “free from external influences”: Elon Musk
The comments were delivered in a pre-recorded video discussion.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly warned that future expansion of Gigafactory Berlin could be jeopardized if the site does not remain “free from external influences.”
Musk’s comments were delivered in a pre-recorded video discussion with employees and came at a sensitive moment for the facility, where union representation has been a recurring issue.
According to reports from Handelsblatt and Der Spiegel, citing participants at the event, Musk suggested that if Giga Berlin is no longer “free from external influences,” further expansion would become unlikely. He did not, however, hint that the plant would shut down.
While Musk did not name IG Metall directly, his remarks were widely interpreted as referencing the union, which is currently the largest faction on the works council but does not hold a majority, as noted in an electrive report.
The video conversation was conducted between Musk in Austin and Grünheide plant manager André Thierig, then played back to the workforce in Germany. Works council elections are scheduled for early March, heightening the tension between management and organized labor.
The CEO has previously voiced concerns that stronger union influence could limit Tesla’s operational flexibility and long-term strategy in Germany.
Despite the warning on expansion, Musk praised the Giga Berlin site during the same address, describing it as one of the most advanced factories worldwide and highlighting its cleanliness and team culture.
The discussion also reportedly touched on battery cell production. According to attendees cited in German media, Musk indicated that Tesla has begun ramping cell production at the site. That would mark a notable shift from earlier expectations that large-scale cell manufacturing in Brandenburg would not begin until 2027.
Elon Musk
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.
A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:
Tesla appears to be implementing some sort of feature that will now pull over if someone is tailgating you to let the car by
Really cool feature, definitely get a lot of this from those who think they drive race cars
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.
This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.
FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.
Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.
When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:
What has happened to Mad Max?
At one point it was going 32 in a 35. Traffic ahead had pulled away considerably https://t.co/bjKvaMVTNX pic.twitter.com/aaZSWmLu5v
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 24, 2026
There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.
Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.
Tesla Powerwall distribution expands in Australia
Tesla Giga Berlin growth could stall if not “free from external influences”: Elon Musk
