In its true last act of the year, SpaceX successfully fired up its first orbital-class Starship for the fourth time in approximately two months, placing the prototype one step closer to flight readiness.
Starship S20 first left its roost in SpaceX’s Starbase factory in early August, briefly performing a fit test atop Super Heavy Booster 4 (B4) – both only partially complete at the time. Both returned to their nests for finishing touches soon after. However, relative to almost all other prototypes SpaceX has built in South Texas in the last two years, Starship S20’s path to flight readiness has been a long and windy one. It took SpaceX a full eight weeks after that first rollout to prepare Ship 20 for – and complete – its first cryogenic proof test, in which the rocket was pressurized and filled with hundreds of tons of liquid nitrogen (LN2).
It took another three weeks after that milestone for SpaceX to then prepare Ship 20 for an even more important test – its first Raptor engine static fire.
The process began on October 19th with Ship 20’s first Raptor preburner test, in which smaller secondary combustion chambers designed to supply the engine’s main combustion chamber with a combustible mixture were briefly ignited on their own. On October 21st, that next milestone finally came, with Starship S20 not only completing the first on-pad static fire of a Raptor Vacuum engine but also performing a second test during the same window, firing up the same RVac and a gimballing Raptor Center (RC) engine less than an hour later. It was an impressive leap in apparent confidence, with Ship 20 jumping from the slowest prototype to reach a testing milestone to the first prototype of any kind to complete back-to-back static fires less than an hour apart.
After another unusually long three weeks of work, some of which was spent installing four more Raptors on Starship S20, the ship completed a second preburner test – the first of any kind to simultaneously feature or involve six Raptor engines. Unlike the first campaign, which had a two-day gap, SpaceX then turned S20 around in the same window and performed the first six-Raptor Starship static fire 50 minutes later – both a success, according to CEO Elon Musk.
Another Ship 20 static fire was subsequently attempted another three or so weeks later, ultimately resulting in an abort on December 1st. Only four weeks later did SpaceX try again, successfully completing what appeared to be Starship S20’s second six-engine static fire without issue on December 29th. The company attempted a second static fire a few hours later but that try was less lucky, culminating in an abort seconds before ignition and wrapping up the day’s testing. That brings us to today, January 2nd, 2022, where SpaceX is once again preparing for more Ship 20 testing with eight-hour windows on January 4th, 5th, and 6th.
The goals of these continued static fire tests are less clear than some past SpaceX testing but Ship 20 – the first orbital-class prototype and first Starship to test more than three Raptors at a time – is a valuable pathfinder. While SpaceX would likely have benefitted even more from them weeks or months, all lessons learned from Ship 20 will help guide retroactive modifications and proactive design changes for upcoming prototypes – the statuses of which are currently in flux.
Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Elon Musk
Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla has granted Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu more than 520,000 stock options, tying a significant portion of his compensation to the company’s long-term performance.
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla secures top talent
According to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tom Zhu received 520,021 stock options with an exercise price of $435.80 per share. Since the award will not fully vest until March 5, 2031, Zhu must remain at Tesla for more than five years to realize the award’s full benefit.
Considering that Tesla shares are currently trading at around the $445 to $450 per share level, Zhu will really only see gains in his equity award if Tesla’s stock price sees a notable rise over the years, as noted in a Sina Finance report.
Still, even at today’s prices, Zhu’s stock award is already worth over $230 million. If Tesla reaches the market cap targets set forth in Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, Zhu would become a billionaire from this equity award alone.
Tesla’s problem solver
Zhu joined Tesla in April 2014 and initially led the company’s Supercharger rollout in China. Later that year, he assumed the leadership of Tesla’s China business, where he played a central role in Tesla’s localization efforts, including expanding retail and service networks, and later, overseeing the development of Gigafactory Shanghai.
Zhu’s efforts helped transform China into one of Tesla’s most important markets and production hubs. In 2023, Tesla promoted Zhu to Senior Vice President of Automotive, placing him among the company’s core global executives and expanding his influence beyond China. He has since garnered a reputation as the company’s problem solver, being tapped by Elon Musk to help ramp Giga Texas’s vehicle production.
With this in mind, Tesla’s recent filing seems to suggest that the company is locking in its top talent as it enters its newest, most ambitious era to date. As could be seen in the targets of Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package, Tesla is now aiming to be the world’s largest company by market cap, and it is aiming to achieve production levels that are unheard of. Zhu’s talents would definitely be of use in this stage of the company’s growth.
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
