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SpaceX Starship prototype ready for record-breaking tests
Over the weekend, SpaceX has installed the last of its first orbital-class Starship’s six Raptor engines, setting the prototype up for one or several record-breaking tests later this week.
Tentatively scheduled as early as 10am to 6pm CDT on Monday Tuesday, November 1st 2nd, the next test up on Starship 20’s (S20) docket will likely be its third static fire in eleven days. Ship 20 completed its first Raptor-involved test – known as a preburner test – on October 19th, followed by two successful back-to-back static fires – one with one Raptor and one with two – on October 21st.
Less than 36 hours later, the Starship’s two missing Raptor Center (RC) engines (of a total of three) had been installed by Friday morning, October 22nd. For unknown reasons, no testing was completed the following week it and it took SpaceX another six and a half days to deliver the final two missing engines to the pad for installation on S20. Regardless, both missing Raptor Vacuum engines were installed by 2am CDT on Saturday, October 30th, marking the second time a Starship prototype has had all six Raptors installed.


While it might be the second time SpaceX has installed six Raptors on a Starship, it’s likely the first time six engines have been fully integrated with Ship 20’s propellant tanks, gas supplies, and avionics. How exactly SpaceX plans to proceed is unclear but odds are good that Starship S20’s next static fire test campaign will involve simultaneous igniting at least four of its six Raptor engines, setting a new record for the number of Raptors simultaneously ignited.
More likely than not, though, Ship 20’s next campaign will culminate in the simultaneous ignition of all six Raptors to (hopefully) complete the first true orbital-class Starship static fire. Like SpaceX has only just begun to do with Falcon boosters, flight-proven Starships might eventually be able to skip preflight static fire tests, but it’s virtually guaranteed that SpaceX will still proof test Starship and Super Heavy before flights until ships, boosters, and Raptors have stable designs with substantial flight experience. To ensure full-fidelity testing, those static fires will always have to qualify all installed engines. That includes Starship, which is designed to burn both its sea-level and vacuum-optimized Raptors from booster separation to orbit.


At full throttle, depending on the efficiency of its three RVacs at sea level, Starship S20’s six Raptor V1.0 engines could produce ~1100 tons (~2.4M lbf) of thrust. By comparison, SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket produces around 760 tons (~1.7M lbf) of thrust at liftoff, meaning that Starship will likely become the most powerful single-core rocket the company has ever tested even if it never throttles above ~70%.
There’s a good chance that SpaceX will start Ship 20’s next round of tests by separately firing both sets of three Raptor Center and Vacuum engines or with a mixed three or four-engine test to follow the latest two-engine test. SpaceX could also take the most iterative approach and test three, four, and five engines at a time before the final six-engine test. Regardless, virtually all possible static fire tests Ship 20 is now configured to perform will be program ‘firsts’ of some kind.
News
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.

Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.