News
SpaceX installs first parts of tower meant to catch Starship boosters
SpaceX’s Starship ‘launch tower’ appears to have been outfitted with the first major component of a mechanism that’s meant to allow the structure to catch Starship boosters – and maybe the ships themselves – in mid-air.
Already speeding towards completion just a few months after assembly began, the tower’s primary purpose is to provide a stable platform capable of steadying Starships and Super Heavy boosters during final integration, when the two stages combine to become one launch vehicle. Situated a stone’s throw from the Gulf of Mexico on the windy South Texas coast, the process of carefully mating two halves of what amounts to a several hundred ton skyscraper will be far harder than it might seem.
Though early operations could likely trade refinement for patience and some level of added risk, regular Starship operations will necessitate rapid, reliable, and repeatable mating in almost all weather and wind conditions. In other words, Starship’s integration tower will likely be outfitted with arm-like structures capable of temporarily fixing Starships and Super Heavy boosters in place. Teased several times by CEO Elon Musk over the last six or so months, SpaceX or its stubborn leader seem to have decided somewhere along the way that the same tower could potentially catch those building-sized rocket stages, too.
Recently described as “basically Mechazilla” by Musk, the launch tower’s supposed catching mechanism is almost a complete mystery. Based on the CEO’s comments, the implication is that some kind of giant, mobile pair of robotic arms will be affixed to the tower’s exterior. When catching Super Heavy boosters, Musk says those arms will ‘grab’ the rocket just below its Falcon booster-style grid fins. In fact, a prototype of a Super Heavy booster’s grid fin section was recently completed at SpaceX’s Boca Chica factory and sports what looks like two anchor-like structures that could be used to secure and grapple the rocket.
A bit like the four anchors used to secure Falcon boosters to the launch pad before liftoff and withstand hundreds of tons of thrust, the structures installed between Super Heavy grid fin mounts appear similar but are instead installed near the top of the rocket. Perfect, in other words, to serve as anchor points for cranes or clamps. It’s possible that Super Heavy boosters could also ‘land’ by resting the flat rear end of those hardpoints on the tower’s arms.
At the same time, catching boosters with the flat end of those hardpoints with give Super Heavy an extraordinarily narrow window for successful recovery unless its grid fins are also capable of serving as the passive part of the catch mechanism.
Known as a drawworks and potentially scavenged from Phobos, an oil rig turned SpaceX sea launch platform, the powerful hoist may be the first part of the mechanism that could allow the tower’s arms to roll up and down its exterior, ‘cushion’ landing boosters, and function a bit like a crane. Using rail-like structures visible on three of the tower’s four ‘legs,’ the hoist could lift that mechanism like a sort of complex rocket elevator.
Ultimately, though, SpaceX’s unprecedented Starship launch/catch tower will remain a mystery until it’s fully assembled and in active use. Thankfully, based on the rate of progress being made over the last few months, those milestones might be just a few months away.
Elon Musk
Tesla’s next-gen Optimus prototype with Grok revealed
The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development.
Tesla’s next-generation Optimus robot with AI assistant Grok has been revealed in a new video shared on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk was with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff last night, and it appears the frontman gave Benioff an exclusive look at some upcoming technology.
Tesla talks Semi ramp, Optimus, Robotaxi rollout, FSD with Wall Street firm
The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development. It features Grok for some additional utility, as it answered questions Benioff asked in the short video.
Here’s what was uploaded to X:
Crazy look at Tesla Optimus from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who was hanging out with Elon Musk yesterday!
Love this gold color on you @Tesla_Optimus https://t.co/NGgDqVVf1g pic.twitter.com/q8286aBNKy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 3, 2025
It appears that there are several big changes to this next-generation version of Optimus, some of which have been discussed by Musk and Tesla in the past.
The first is purely cosmetic, but the gold color that Optimus is wearing in this is a new and fresh look that we have not seen before.
Perhaps the most interesting change that is evident here is the hands, which are much more detailed than past versions of Optimus:
However, we’re not too sure that these are what will be released with the next-gen Optimus, because they don’t appear to be functional, and they are more reminiscent of mannequin hands than anything.
The hands on Optimus have been a significant part of the program, as they are among the most crucial pieces of equipment on a robot. It needs to be able to perform both delicate and more imposing tasks. Tesla has aimed for Optimus to be able to thread needles or play the piano.
It was one of the most discussed improvements the company mentioned in past comments regarding how it planned to improve from Gen 2 to this next version.
Musk mentioned regarding Optimus:
“Next-generation Optimus hand, which we have in prototype form, has actuators that have moved to the forearm, just like humans, and they operate the fingers through cables, just like human hands.”
Within Optimus lies a significant opportunity for Tesla to gain considerable strength in terms of market share and valuation.
If Tesla can efficiently develop and deploy the humanoid robot over the next several years, the company stands to gain, as companies will utilize it for tasks that require tedious labor.
Musk recently said Optimus will be a major contributor to Tesla’s valuation moving forward. He believes it will make up roughly 80 percent of the company’s value.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk to provide more details for Master Plan Part IV
Musk stated that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be adding more specifics to the recently-released Master Plan Part IV. Musk shared the update on social media platform X amidst conversations about the general nature of the Master Plan Part IV.
In a conversation on X, Musk responded to a post from Tesla retail shareholder and bull Dave Lee, who observed that the currently released Master Plan Part IV could really just be the introduction to the real plan due to its absence of specifics.
Elon Musk responded, stating that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update. “Fair enough. Will add more specifics,” Musk wrote in his post.
Tesla has been following Elon Musk’s Master Plans for decades. The first Master Plan, released in 2006, outlined the company’s path from the original Tesla Roadster to the Model 3, as well as the first steps for Tesla Energy. Master Plan Part Deux, released in 2016, covered the ramp of Tesla Energy, the expansion of Tesla’s vehicle lineup, and the rollout of a Robotaxi service.
Master Plan Part 3 was more ambitious as it was generally an in-depth proposal for achieving a global sustainable entry economy by transitioning to electricity-powered vehicles, homes, and industry, which will, in turn, be powered by renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Master Plan Part 3 also included a five-step plan to accomplish this, allowing the world to transition to a fully electrified future.
Master Plan Part IV, which was released a few days ago, focused on automation and artificial intelligence to achieve sustainable abundance. But while the first two Master Plans were very clear and specific and Master Plan Part 3 was very in-depth, Master Plan Part IV was quite general and vague in comparison. It was easy to tell that Optimus would play a big role in the pursuit of sustainable abundance, but apart from that, there were no specifics as to how Tesla intended to achieve its goals.
Fortunately, these specifics would be discussed by Musk in a later update to the plan.
News
Tesla just had its best wholesale month this year in China
Tesla China’s wholesale figures include both vehicles that are sold domestically and exported abroad.
Tesla China just had its best wholesale month this 2025 so far. In August, the electric vehicle maker sold 83,192 vehicles wholesale, a 22.55% increase compared to July 2025’s 67,886 units.
Tesla China’s wholesale figures are still down year-over-year, but the company’s momentum seems notable, especially with the arrival of the Model Y L.
August 2025 figures
As noted in a CNEV Post report, August 2025’s 83,192 wholesale figures are 4.04% less than the 86,697 units that were sold in the same period last year. It is, however, a 22.55% improvement from the previous month. From January to August, Tesla China sold 515,552 units wholesale, a 12.24% year-over-year decrease.
It should be noted that Tesla China’s wholesale figures include both vehicles that are sold domestically and exported abroad. With this in mind, August’s results bode well for Tesla China, as it suggests that Gigafactory Shanghai is now hitting its pace with both its domestic deliveries and its exports. Giga Shanghai serves as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub.
Model Y L factor
Tesla had a challenging first quarter this year, thanks in part to the changeover to the Model Y across the Fremont factory, Giga Texas, Giga Shanghai, and Giga Berlin-Brandenburg. This changeover resulted in low sales in the first quarter. Political controversies surrounding Elon Musk and violence against Tesla stores and vehicles in the first and second quarters in the United States and Europe did not help much either.
This Q3, however, Tesla seems to be hitting its stride, especially in China. The launch of the new Model Y L has allowed Tesla to compete in the six-seat, large SUV segment, a market that was previously closed to the standard Model Y. Reports have suggested that Tesla China has been seeing a lot of demand for the Model Y L, which should help the company achieve higher sales this quarter and the remaining months of the year.
Tesla’s next-gen Optimus prototype with Grok revealed
Tesla CEO Elon Musk to provide more details for Master Plan Part IV
Tesla just had its best wholesale month this year in China
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