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SpaceX is about to have a fleet of Starship rockets
SpaceX has finished the last major stacking event for the business half of its fifth full-scale Starship prototype, meaning that the company may be a week or less from having a fleet of Starships for the first time ever.
As of now, Starship serial number 5 (SN5) is on track to be completed in under a month, continuing a trend that SpaceX has managed over the entirety of 2020. Beginning in mid-January, SpaceX has completed several nosecone pathfinders, three test tanks, and three full-scale Starship prototypes – soon to be four once SN5 is finished. Once it is, however, SpaceX will be entering a new era of operations – fleet operations.
Up to this point, every full-scale Starship prototype and test tank SpaceX has built – excluding the tank SN2 was turned into in March – has been quickly destroyed over the course of one or two tests. For better or for worse, this has meant that SpaceX’s test and launch pad has always been more or less self-clearing, making way for the next prototype to roll out and begin testing after the scraps of its predecessor were removed. This time around, barring Starship SN4’s imminent demise, SpaceX will now have to deal with multiple completed Starship prototypes at the same time – a tiny taste of things to come.
For unknown reasons, SpaceX decided to swap out Starship SN4’s lone Raptor engine (likely SN18) after multiple wet dress rehearsals, partial engine tests, and two static fire tests – at least one of which was confirmed a success by CEO Elon Musk. Most recently, SpaceX removed Raptor SN18 to perform a more ambitious cryogenic pressure test, pushing Starship SN4’s propellant tanks all the way to 7.5 bar (~110 psi) at the same time as hydraulic rams simulated the thrust of three Raptor engines at the rocket’s base.
Instead of reinstalling Raptor SN18, SpaceX transported Raptor SN20 to the launch pad and installed it on Starship SN4 on May 10th, less than 24 hours after the prototype passed an orbital-class pressure test.
Aside from installing Raptor SN20, SpaceX teams have spent the last few days adding new COPVs (composite overwrapped pressure vessels) and plumbing to Starship SN4’s exterior – purpose largely unknown. While the new hardware is mostly a mystery, it is known that SpaceX is in the process of preparing SN4 and its new Raptor engine for a third wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and static fire test, necessary to ensure that Raptor SN20 is properly installed and functioning as expected.
Assuming that third static fire is successful, SpaceX’s will prepare Starship SN4 for its first flight, a ~150m (500 ft) hop test that will also be the first intentional flight of any full-scale Starship prototype since the program’s birth. For that hop test, SN4 will need some kind of attitude control system (ACS) thrusters to control its rotation and provide fine trajectory tuning to assist the ship’s lone Raptor engine. This is the likeliest explanation for the new hardware being installed on Starship SN4, as the ship does not currently appear to have ACS thrusters installed.
Starship Troopers
Of course, the first flight of a full-scale Starship prototype will probably be the riskiest test yet for the program and there’s a good chance that SN4 will meet its demise at some point during that flight. Enter Starship SN5.
As of May 12th, Starship SN5’s final two tank sections were stacked, effectively completing the most important half of the rocket (minus one final circumferential ring weld). SN5’s final outfitting of avionics and plumbing is still pending and will take at least a few days to a week or more, but that work can and has been completed after prototypes are transferred by road to the launch pad. Currently, Starship SN4 is occupying SpaceX’s one and only pad test stand, however, meaning that it wouldn’t make much sense to immediately move SN5 to the launch pad – at least until SN4 is done testing.
SN5 will also need a nose section and, perhaps, flaps installed, meaning that the full ship is likely still at least a week or two away from being finished, but that likely wont stop SpaceX from proof testing the rocket’s tanks if or when SN4 makes space at the launch pad.
According to comments made by Elon Musk, SN5 will likely become the first Starship prototype to have three Raptor engines installed and the first to attempt a truly high-altitude flight test if Starship SN4 is met with success in the coming weeks. As absurd as it feels to say, if SN5 completes triple-Raptor testing and a 20 km (~12 mi) flight test without issue, Musk has stated that the next step would be orbital flight tests. Starship SN6’s steel rings, meanwhile, are already being formed and stacked as SN5 nears completion.
News
Tesla FSD (Supervised) is about to go on “widespread” release
In a comment last October, Elon Musk stated that FSD V14.2 is “for widespread use.”
Tesla has begun rolling out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) V14.2, and with this, the wide release of the system could very well begin.
The update introduces a new high-resolution vision encoder, expanded emergency-vehicle handling, smarter routing, new parking options, and more refined driving behavior, among other improvements.
FSD V14.2 improvements
FSD (Supervised) V14.2’s release notes highlight a fully upgraded neural-network vision encoder capable of reading higher-resolution features, giving the system improved awareness of emergency vehicles, road obstacles, and even human gestures. Tesla also expanded its emergency-vehicle protocols, adding controlled pull-overs and yielding behavior for police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, among others.
A deeper integration of navigation and routing into the vision network now allows the system to respond to blocked roads or detours in real time. The update also enhances decision-making in several complex scenarios, including unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and interactions with school buses. All in all, these improvements should help FSD (Supervised) V14.2 perform in a very smooth and comfortable manner.
Elon Musk’s predicted wide release
The significance of V14.2 grows when paired with Elon Musk’s comments from October. While responding to FSD tester AI DRIVR, who praised V14.1.2 for fixing “95% of indecisive lane changes and braking” and who noted that it was time for FSD to go on wide release, Musk stated that “14.2 for widespread use.”
FSD V14 has so far received a substantial amount of positive reviews from Tesla owners, many of whom have stated that the system now drives better than some human drivers as it is confident, cautious, and considerate at the same time. With V14.2 now rolling out, it remains to be seen if the update also makes it to the company’s wide FSD fleet, which is still populated by a large number of HW3 vehicles.
News
Tesla FSD V14.2 starts rolling out to initial batch of vehicles
It would likely only be a matter of time before FSD V14.2 videos are posted and shared on social media.
Tesla has begun pushing Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2 to its initial batch of vehicles. The update was initially observed by Tesla owners and veteran FSD users on social media platform X on Friday.
So far, reports of the update have been shared by Model Y owners in California whose vehicles are equipped with the company’s AI4 hardware, though it would not be surprising if more Tesla owners across the country receive the update as well.
Based on the release notes of the update, key improvements in FSD V14.2 include a revamped neural network for better detection of emergency vehicles, obstacles, and human gestures, as well as options to select arrival spots.
It would likely only be a matter of time before FSD V14.2 videos are posted and shared on social media.
Following are the release notes of FSD (Supervised) V14.2, as shared on X by longtime FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog.
Release Notes
2025.38.9.5
Currently Installed
FSD (Supervised) v14.2
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2 includes:
- Upgraded the neural network vision encoder, leveraging higher resolution features to further improve scenarios like handling emergency vehicles, obstacles on the road, and human gestures.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.
- Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances.
- Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.
- Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.
- Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.
- Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).
- Improve handling of several scenarios including: unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school busses.
- Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and improve scenarios like handling emergency vehicles, obstacles on the road, and human gestures.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.
- Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances).
- Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.
- Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.
- Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.
- Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).
- Improve handling of several scenarios, including unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school buses.
- Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and recover smoothly from degraded operation for enhanced reliability.
- Added alerting for residue build-up on interior windshield that may impact front camera visibility. If affected, visit Service for cleaning!
Upcoming Improvements:
- Overall smoothness and sentience
- Parking spot selection and parking quality
The Tesla Model X has always been one of the company’s most loved vehicles, despite its low sales figures, which can be attributed to its high price tag.
However, the Model X has been a signature item on Tesla’s menu of cars, most notably recognized by its Falcon Wing Doors, which are aware of its surroundings and open according to what’s around it.
But recent improvements to the Model X were looking slim to none, but it appears most of the fixes actually happened under the body, at least according to Tesla’s Vice President of Powertrain, Lars Moravy.
In a recent interview with Car and Driver, Moravy detailed all of the changes to the 2026 iteration of the vehicle, which was about 400 pounds lighter than it was originally. The biggest change is a modification with the rear motor, switching from an induction-type motor to a permanent-magnet design and optimizing the half-shafts, which shed about 100 pounds.
Tesla also got “almost 80 pounds out of the interior bits and pieces,” which “included making parts thinner, different manufacturing process choices, and incorporating airbag-deployment requirements into the headliner fabric,” the report said.
Additionally, the standard five-passenger, bench seat configuration saved 50 pounds by ditching pedestal mounting. This also helped with practicality, as it helped the seat fold flat. Engineers at Tesla also saved 44 pounds from the high-voltage wiring through optimizing the wiring from the charge-port DC/DC converter and switching from copper to aluminum wiring.
Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X
Tesla also simplified the cooling system by reducing the number of radiators. It also incorporated Nürburgring cooling requirements for the Plaid variant, which saved nearly 30 pounds.
Many Tesla fans will be familiar with the megacastings, manufactured in-house by presses from IDRA, which also saves more than 20 pounds and boosts torsional stiffness by around 10 percent. Tweaks to the suspension also saved 10 pounds.
People were truly disappointed with what Tesla did with the Model S and Model X, arguing that the cars needed a more severe exterior overhaul, which might be true. However, Tesla really did a lot to reduce the weight of the vehicle, which helps increase range and efficiency. According to Grok, every 200 pounds removed adds between 7 and 15 percent to range estimations.
This makes sense considering the range estimations both increased by 7 percent from the Model X’s 2025 configuration to the 2026 builds. Range increased on the All-Wheel-Drive trim from 329 miles to 352 miles, while the Plaid went from 314 miles to 335 miles.
Tesla FSD (Supervised) is about to go on “widespread” release
Tesla FSD V14.2 starts rolling out to initial batch of vehicles
