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SpaceX’s Starship factory is churning out steel rockets faster than ever
SpaceX’s South Texas Starship factory is churning out steel rocket hardware faster than ever before according to photos of yet another prototype already in the works.
At the same time as SpaceX works around the clock to test SN4 and prepare the ship for what will be the first flight of a full-scale Starship prototype, the company is building not one; not two; but three additional prototypes. A confirmation that a third Starship was being simultaneously manufactured in South Texas came on May 25th when local Boca Chica resident and observer Mary (bocachicagal) captured a photo of a pair of stacked steel rings rather conspicuously labeled “SN7”.
While it’s possible that “SN7” is just a coincidence, it’s far more likely that it refers to Starship serial number 7 (SN7), set to be the seventh full-scale prototype built by SpaceX. The apparent start of SN7’s steel ring assembly process some two weeks ago also suggests that no less than several other rings are likely being mated in one or more of SpaceX’s three main manufacturing tents or a much taller windbreak structure. In fact, SpaceX is building Starship prototypes so quickly that the company is actively assembling a second launch mount, suggesting that two Starships could soon be tested more or less simultaneously without stepping on each other’s steel toes.
The most impressive aspect of SN7’s appearance, however, is the fact that SpaceX is already in the late stages of stacking Starship SN5 and begun preparing to stack Starship SN6 directly beside it just a few days ago. Based on labels attached to the side of a new steel nosecone section rolled out of SpaceX’s tent factory a few days ago, Starship SN5 will likely become the first full-scale Starship to reach its full height in a permanent, functional fashion. Back in October 2019, SpaceX did technically stack Starship Mk1 to its full height for a few weeks, but the ship’s nose section was never permanently attached and really only served as a pathfinder and full-scale mockup.
Starship Mk1 ultimately failed prematurely during its first major cryogenic pressure test in November 2019, bursting well before it reached the tank pressures needed for low-velocity hop tests (let alone orbital flight). In the sixth months since, SpaceX refocused its resources and spent much of the time dramatically upgrading its South Texas Starship production facilities and methods. In a rapid-fire series of tests of custom-built Starship tanks, SpaceX quickly proved that those improved methods could produce steel tanks more than capable of surviving pressures of ~8.5 bar (~125 psi) and beyond.
More recently, Starship SN4 – a full-scale prototype with two propellant tanks and three tank domes – passed a ~7.5 bar (~110 psi) cryogenic pressure test with flying colors, just shy of fully validating the smaller tank tests that made it possible. According to CEO Elon Musk, ~8.5 bar is enough to perform orbital launches with the ~40% safety margin preferred for human spaceflight, while 7.5 bar meets the minimum needed for Starship to perform uncrewed orbital launches with a ~25% safety margin.
In other words, SpaceX isn’t simply churning out low-fidelity prototypes – the ships that are being mass-produced are of a high enough quality to be qualified for orbital-class launches. Of course, the physical structure of Starship is just one of many technologies that need to work in harmony for successful orbital flights, many of which need to pass their own challenging tests to be declared ready for launch, but it’s still undeniably impressive that SpaceX is already building complete Starship fuselages in a matter of weeks.
In fact, given that Starship SN4 could perform the first hop test and that SN5 could be assigned to the first high-altitude (3-20+ km) flight tests, there is definitely a chance, however minimal, that Starship SN6 or SN7 could eventually be upgraded for the system’s inaugural orbital launch attempt. Regardless, it’s safe to say that the next several weeks are going to be jam-packed with numerous Starship production and test milestones.
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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.
Dodge ended the Viper.
Audi retired the R8.
Mitsubishi said goodbye to the Lancer Evo.
Ford bid farewell to the Bronco (at one point).
Chevrolet sunset the Camaro.Tesla is ending the Cybertruck. I’m pissed. I’m upset.
Fans of those five automakers mentioned did the same thing. It happens. It sucks. I don’t like it.
But I still love Tesla. I love my Model Y. I hoped to be in a Cybertruck in a little under two years.
I won’t be. But I still won’t put my family in anything else. Too safe. Too advanced. Too much better than everything else.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2026
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:
@PalmerLuckey @carlhancock Cybercab will do a majority of all passenger miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.
Obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2026
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.
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.
Tesla has stopped taking orders for the Cybertruck Premium AWD.
The Cyberbeast is now the only trim you can order, and its price went up $7,500 to $109,990.
Estimated deliveries have also slipped to March–June 2027 as the Giga Texas line heads toward its mid-2027 wind-down. https://t.co/o28epA0ZQl
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2026
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.”
@PalmerLuckey @carlhancock Cybercab will do a majority of all passenger miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.
Obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2026
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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Tesla exec hints at a wild fix for Robotaxi’s biggest weather problem
Tesla VP Lars Moravy says focused lasers could keep robotaxi cameras clear instead of wipers.
Tesla may one day use lasers instead of wiper blades to keep its robotaxi cameras clear. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, floated the idea in a new episode of Jay Leno’s Garage released Monday, where he and design chief Franz von Holzhausen walked Leno through the Model Y L.
“If you fire them in a focused area, you can clean the sheet of water and create a barrier,” Moravy said. “When you think about autonomy, it might be a good solution to only clean the area where the camera is.” He added that clearing an entire windshield would take too many lasers to be practical.
🚨 Jay Leno has released a new episode breaking down the Model Y L. You can watch it here: https://t.co/umMp85UEaB — TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 9, 2026
The comment brings back one of Tesla’s stranger patents. The company filed for “Pulsed Laser Cleaning of Debris Accumulated on Glass Articles in Vehicles and Photovoltaic Assemblies” in May 2019, and the U.S. Patent Office granted it in September 2021. An updated divisional version was granted on March 31, 2026. The system detects debris on the glass, identifies what it is, and pulses the laser at a calibrated rate so the beam never penetrates deeper than the glass itself. The filing names windshields, side windows, camera lenses and solar panels as possible targets.
Lasers were once rumored for the Cybertruck, which appeared at its November 2019 unveiling with no wipers at all. Tesla eventually settled on a single oversized blade, and Elon Musk admitted the wiper was the part of the truck that troubled him the most. That production line is now scheduled to shut down around mid 2027 to make room for more Cybercab output.
What has changed since then is who is in the vehicle. A privately owned car has a driver who can notice a smeared windshield and do something about it. A Cybercab heading to its next pickup has nobody on board to check. Tesla has been chipping away at that problem with conventional hardware. Model Y Robotaxis in Austin were spotted with washers on their side repeater cameras in January, and a lens cleaning patent granted in May describes a fluid and wiper assembly for vehicle cameras and Optimus’ eyes. A laser would remove the fluid and the blades, both of which need regular replacement across a fleet.
The same episode gave Leno his first ride on Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The Model Y L pulled over on its own when an ambulance approached with its sirens on. “We got it on self-driving mode! I’m not touching anything,” Leno said. Moravy and von Holzhausen also explained that owners remain responsible while using FSD (Supervised), while Tesla takes responsibility for Robotaxi rides because it acts as the operator. Tesla launched the Model Y L in the U.S. in July at $61,990.
Moravy gave no timeline, and he described the laser setup as something Tesla is considering rather than a confirmed feature. The fleet it would serve keeps getting bigger, though. Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi service in San Antonio on Monday, its eighth city, and expanded its Austin service area to roughly 443 square miles on the same day. Several of those markets, including Houston, Miami and Tampa, see heavy seasonal rain.
Elon Musk says Tesla Cybercab future is ‘obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain’
Tesla slims Cybertruck offerings to only its most expensive trim
