News
SpaceX Starship hop debut aborted at the last second by Raptor engine
SpaceX’s full-scale Starship hop debut was aborted at the last second after an otherwise successful lead-up to the milestone, forcing the company to try again tomorrow.
Following a minor delay from August 2nd to August 3rd, SpaceX kicked off Starship SN5’s hop debut preparations relatively late into the 12-hour window, closing the highway and clearing the pad around 5pm CDT (22:00 UTC). The Starship SN5 tank section prototype was pressurized with ambient-temperature gas around the same time, while cryogenic liquid methane and oxygen propellant loading appeared to begin at roughly 6:20pm CDT (23:20 UTC).
Soon after, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that Starship was just 33 minutes away from launch, marching towards the first hop of a full-scale prototype at 6:56pm CDT. Unfortunately, possibly much less than a second before ignition, Starship SN5’s Raptor engine had different plans.
Musk says that one of Raptor engine SN27’s “spin start valves” failed to open moments before ignition, causing Starship to automatically abort the attempt. With more than an hour left in the window, SpaceX had time to briefly troubleshoot the bug and potentially turn the rocket around for a second attempt, but Musk announced some 50 minutes later that the company would stand down and try again tomorrow.
Musk’s description of the hop test abort sounds suspiciously similar to his description of the last abort of Starship SN5’s Raptor engine static fire test, in which a “fuel spin valve didn’t open.” If the root cause of both aborts is the same, there’s a good chance that SpaceX may need more time to properly investigate and fix the problem. A recurring issue is immediately much more concerning compared to a one-off bug, so there’s also a chance that SpaceX will go as far as replacing the Raptor engine currently installed on Starship SN5.

If things look more severe than SpaceX initially thought they were after the static fire abort and a replacement engine is necessary, Starship SN5 will have to complete another static fire test with the new Raptor before it can proceed to a second hop attempt.
Based on live views of the launch attempt from NASASpaceflight and LabPadre, Starship SN5 likely aborted a matter of milliseconds before Raptor SN27 ignition and perhaps just a second or two before liftoff. Just like SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 and Heavy rockets, the vehicle’s flight computer is fully in control of the countdown a minute or two before liftoff and can automatically abort far faster than any human could possibly react. Held to the launch mount by hold-down clamps, Starship could have technically analyzed the engine’s performance after ignition and aborted the launch even later into the count.
Once hold-down clamp release is commanded, Starship SN5 will attempt to fly a roughly 150m-tall (500 ft) arc heading southeast of the launch mount. Perhaps 10 seconds prior to touchdown, Starship will attempt to deploy an array of six odd legs and gently land a few hundred feet from the pad. As of now, assuming Raptor’s finicky valve can be easily rectified, SpaceX will work towards a second Starship SN5 hop attempt sometime between 8am and 8pm CDT on Tuesday, August 4th.
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News
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.
Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.
However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.
Ford is now charging $495 on the Mustang Mach-E frunk (front trunk). What are your thoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/EOzZe3z9ZQ
— Alan of TesCalendar 📆⚡️ (@TesCalendar1) February 24, 2026
Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.
Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.
When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.
Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking
It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.
It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.

