

News
SpaceX soars with flawless Starship hop, Starlink launch five hours apart
SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket with 60 Starlink satellites and hopped a Starship prototype just five hours apart.
Right on schedule, Falcon 9 booster B1060 brought several days of delays to a welcome end, lifting off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (Pad 39A) at 8:48 am EDT (UTC-4). Nine minutes later, B1060 landed aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You and the mission’s expendable Falcon 9 upper stage shut off its Merlin Vacuum (MVac) engine after reaching a nominal orbit. Less than 20 minutes after liftoff, all 60 Starlink v1.0 spacecraft were successfully deployed, completing SpaceX’s 11th operational mission and 12th Starlink launch overall.
Less than five hours later, Starship prototype serial number 6 (SN6) ignited its lone Raptor engine and lifted off, soaring ~150m (~500 ft) into the South Texas sky before landing on a concrete pad a few hundred feet away. While largely unrelated from a technical and operational perspective, the back-to-back launch and hop still demonstrate one thing in particular: SpaceX remains as committed as ever to both of its most ambitious projects.
With SpaceX’s 101st launch and 60th orbital-class booster landing, the company’s Starlink satellite internet constellation now has more than 700 operational spacecraft in orbit. According to comments made earlier this year by COO and President Gwynne Shotwell, that should mean that SpaceX will be ready for the first public Starlink beta test just three or four launches from now.
In May 2020, the executive noted that that public beta was expected to begin after 14 launches. Based on interactions with the FCC over the last several months, SpaceX is only counting upgraded v1.0 satellites as part of the operational Starlink constellation, meaning that Shotwell likely meant 14 Starlink v1.0 launches. Over the course of 10 Starlink v1.0 missions, only 5 of the 593 satellites launched have deorbited and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, while another 8 satellites have lost the ability to maneuver and will likely deorbit within the next several months.


Assuming all 60 Starlink-11 spacecraft are healthy after reaching their final orbits, SpaceX will have ~640 operational satellites in orbit. SpaceX has plans for another two Starlink launches this month, followed by at least one more – the fabled Starlink-14 – no earlier than (NET) October.
Two Starship hops in 30 days
Starship SN6’s successful hop debut is also great news for SpaceX’s ambitious next-generation rocket development program, opening up the launch pad for a new tank pressure test and SN5’s second hop. According to CEO Elon Musk, the company’s near-term goal is to complete “several” hops to refine and routinize Starship launch procedures. Once fairly routine, SpaceX will likely begin preparing for Starship SN8’s hop debut, representing the first flight of a Starship built entirely out of a new steel alloy.
If things go according to plan, Starship SN8 will be the first ship to fly with a nosecone, flaps, header tanks, and three Raptor engines. The ship will also be the first to attempt a truly bizarre skydiver-style landing, in which SN8 will essentially fall through the atmosphere belly-first before flipping upright at the last second for a soft landing. In the meantime, SpaceX’s next Starship test tank (SN7.1) is scheduled to begin testing on September 6th, while SN5 could theoretically be ready for its second hop just a few days after that.
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Elon Musk
Tesla’s Elon Musk considers insane Cybertruck mod: ‘Maybe we should make this’
The Cybertruck won’t do what the video shows (at least not in our lifetime), but a very entry-level version of it could be developed.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased what could potentially be the company’s next big project, and while it is likely many, many years away, it shows the company truly has its sights set on the craziest things the world has seen.
Musk shared a video created by Grok Imagine, the AI tool that is able to take images and turn them into videos, showing a Cybertruck flying above the clouds and buildings of what appears to be a very futuristic city.
There are also massive robots roaming around in the video, so it is obviously an illustration of what life could look like in several generations.
However, Musk, who does not shy away from some really optimistic projects and goals, shared the video on X and said, “Maybe Tesla should make this.”
Maybe Tesla should make this https://t.co/9ieoqM03Wu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 19, 2025
What is depicted in the video is not what we’d see Tesla create anytime soon. However, the company could potentially engineer something to make the Cybertruck hover, as it plans to do with the Roadster.
Of course, this is likely a huge “if” considering the current state of the car industry. Vehicles are becoming more advanced with every passing day as companies like Tesla, Waymo, and others are working to sort out things like autonomous and driverless travel.
Tesla has been working on somewhat of a similar idea with the Roadster, a vehicle that has been delayed on several occasions because of Musk’s spectacular imagination. Earlier this year, Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, revealed Musk wanted to push the limits of that vehicle even more.
It seems it could be on the way soon, considering Tesla has teased an “epic” demo for the car, which could come before the end of the year.
Tesla has been working to make the Roadster hover, using SpaceX cold gas thrusters. It will also utilize these for what could be an incredibly fast 1.1-second 0-60 MPH acceleration rate that has been teased countless times.
This project that Musk is teasing with the Cybertruck is likely one that we will not see in our lifetimes. However, this is just one example of the outlandish ideas Musk continues to tease for Tesla in the future.
News
Tesla Model Y L addresses one huge complaint from many owners
If you have ever used a wireless charger inside a Tesla or almost any vehicle, for that matter, you will notice that your phone will charge slowly, and it will get extremely hot. This is mostly due to the inherent inefficiency of electromagnetic induction, which is the process that wireless chargers use to transfer energy to the phone.

The new Tesla Model Y L is officially launching in China at a great price and with all of the awesome features of the original model, but with more space. The vehicle is also addressing one huge complaint that many owners have discussed.
The new Model Y L features a more spacious interior, new front seats with adjustable headrests, captains chairs, and mechanical armrests in the second row, and B Pillar air vents for improved circulation.
Tesla Model Y L officially launched: price, features, and more
However, there are some other features that are flying under the radar, including one that addresses a common complaint of many Tesla owners: wireless charging.
If you have ever used a wireless charger inside a Tesla or almost any vehicle, for that matter, you will notice that your phone will charge slowly, and it will get extremely hot. This is mostly due to the inherent inefficiency of electromagnetic induction, which is the process that wireless chargers use to transfer energy to the phone.
The inefficiency is evident in the heat, as that is the lost energy that should be going to the phone, but does not.
To combat this problem, Tesla has rolled out a new feature with the wireless charging mat in the Model Y L.
Tesla has used small slit air vents in the center of the wireless charger, which separates the two pads, to blow cool air on the phones to prevent overheating:
In a first for @Tesla, the new Model Y L has air cooled wireless phone chargers. The charging base has small slit air vents in the center that blows cool air onto your phone to prevent overheating.
The left driver’s side wireless charger now supports up to 50W charging speeds… pic.twitter.com/g6o4XgkYYE
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 19, 2025
This will keep the temperature of your phone down and could prevent the dreaded “iPhone too hot” message that deems your device unusable until it reaches a more stable temperature.
Additionally, Tesla has upgraded the driver’s side wireless charger to support 50W charging speeds. The passenger charger remains at 30W.
This is a small but valuable improvement to the wireless charging apparatus could be a game changer, as there have been so many complaints about this feature in other Tesla vehicles.
News
Tesla Model Y Performance zips around Nurburgring with new features
With the performance, there are some improvements to interior aesthetics, but the goal with this particular trim of Tesla vehicles is to improve performance and aerodynamics, bringing a truly first-class experience to one of the best and fastest vehicles on the road.

The long-awaited Tesla Model Y Performance has been spotted zipping around the famed Nurburgring in Germany, a popular location for new vehicles to test their limits ahead of public release.
Earlier this year, Tesla executives Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy both indicated that the updated and upgraded Model Y Performance would be on its way by the end of 2025, and it appears that time is coming close.
New images captured by Wilco Blok and Teslaplaidtokde on X show the Model Y Performance wrapped in camouflage, sporting a handful of new features as the lightning-fast version of the world’s best-selling vehicle prepares for a launch in various markets across the world:
- Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram
- Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram
- Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram
New Features
According to Blok and Teslaplaidtokde, the new Model Y Performance will feature a variety of new improvements compared to the past version.
This is something that was expected, as the launch of the new Model Y over the past year has shown various changes that made a great vehicle even better.
With the performance, there are some improvements to interior aesthetics, but the goal with this particular trim of Tesla vehicles is to improve performance and aerodynamics, bringing a truly first-class experience to one of the best and fastest vehicles on the road.
View this post on Instagram
Here’s what was mentioned as changes so far that have been seen on this test mule at Nurburgring:
- New 21″ wheels
- All black headliner, a big change that was included in the Model Y L, the first time a Model Y has had that option
- Updated brakes
- Bucket seats that appear to be similar to the new Model Y L in China
- New Carbon Fiber Spoiler
- Performance Badging
- Changes to both the front and rear bumper
- Suspension with Adaptive Dampers
View this post on Instagram
Expected Performance Metrics
These are not official figures, but this is what is expected based on what has been seen at the Nurburgring:
- 510 horsepower
- 0-60 MPH in 3.2-3.4 seconds
- 280-290 miles of range
- Anticipating the release of a new Track Mode
The previous iteration of the Model Y Performance featured 503 horsepower and a 0-60 MPH of 3.5 seconds. It also had a top speed of 155, which we believe will be improved with the next version of the Y Performance.
Here is some footage of the Model Y Performance running around the Nurburgring ahead of its release:
🚨 The Tesla Model Y Performance appears to have run some spirited laps at the Nurburgring in preparation for its launch https://t.co/PccY2KY2NF pic.twitter.com/Cd1TVwhNZq
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 18, 2025
Tesla has not yet listed any date or timeframe for the Performance variant to be released. However, it is anticipated to be released by the end of 2025.
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