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SpaceX Starship to test landing upgrades after two explosions
After two Starship prototypes aced their high-altitude launch debuts only to suffer last-second landing failures for unique reasons, SpaceX is gearing up for a third launch as early as this week.
Crucially, though Elon Musk’s levelheaded realism (or pessimism) has often seemed to underestimate the actual odds of success, the SpaceX CEO is substantially more confident on Starship’s third launch attempt than he was on the first flight two months ago. Back when Starship serial number 8 (SN8) was preparing to attempt the program’s first high-altitude launch, Musk pegged the probability of a successful launch, freefall, and landing at ~33%.
As it turned out, he wasn’t wrong, but Starship SN8 ultimately made far closer to a total success than almost anyone – inside SpaceX or not – expected it to get on the first try. Less than two months later, Starship SN9 suffered a similar last-second landing failure more than six minutes into the flight, though the root causes of both failures were unique.
In other words, both flight tests served their nominal purpose, uncovering two failure modes that would have eventually reared their heads one way or another. With SN8, Starship was unable to maintain enough pressure in its secondary landing fuel tank to supply two Raptor engines with enough fuel for a landing burn. Starship SN9 failed a few seconds before SN8 when one of the two Raptor engines needed for a flip and landing burn never ignited, causing the rocket to smash into the ground at an angle relative to SN8’s tail-down impact.
As previously discussed on Teslarati, Elon Musk eventually revealed his opinion that SN9’s engine-out failure was potentially avoidable and that SpaceX would change the way future Starships attempt to land in a bid to add more redundancy.
“While SpaceX obviously hasn’t spun around and fixed a complex Starship propulsion issue in a matter of days, Musk eventually revealed his opinion that he, his engineers, or some combination of both “were too dumb” to exploit one obvious way to mitigate the risk of engine failure during [Starship SN9’s] flip and landing. That ‘obvious’ tweak: reignite all three of Starship’s available landing engines, not just two.”
By igniting not just two – but all three – Raptor engines during Starship’s flip burn, SpaceX could essentially perform a midair static fire, giving the rocket’s flight computer a few seconds to analyze performance and downselect to the two healthiest engines for the final landing burn. With that change implemented, Starship would theoretically have enough redundancy to land if only two of its three sea-level Raptors performed nominally.
Currently installed on one of two ‘suborbital stands’ at SpaceX’s South Texas launch pad, Starship SN10 will be the first high-altitude prototype to attempt that three-engine flip burn and on-the-fly downselect. Musk says his confidence that SN10 will successfully land is now 60%, an almost twofold improvement over SN8. Starship SN10 could potentially fly as early as this week, though the prototype still needs to complete a nominal three-engine static fire test and the launch has yet to receive FAA approval.
Further down the road, Musk says that SpaceX is working hard to improve Raptor’s deep throttle performance, potentially allowing future Starships to burn two – or even three – engines all the way to touchdown for even more redundancy. Deep-throttling large, complex rocket engines is extraordinarily difficult, though, so that upgrade is likely no less than several months away. In the meantime, Starship SN11 is effectively complete and Starships SN15 through SN18 are being assembled to support a relentless flight test campaign as SpaceX works towards orbital flights.
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Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall.
The Tesla Model Y has been named 2026 Drive Car of the Year overall winner, taking the top honor after being judged as the vehicle that “moves the game forward the most for Australian new car buyers.”
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall, but the vehicle’s Juniper update strengthened its case with new ownership benefits and expanded software capability.
Drive’s overall award compares category winners and looks at which model most significantly advances the local new car market. In 2026, judges pointed to the Model Y’s five-year warranty and the availability of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a monthly subscription as key differentiators.
Priced from AU$58,900 before on-road costs, the all-electric crossover SUV offers a lot of value compared to similarly sized petrol and hybrid rivals. The ability to access Tesla’s Supercharger network across Australia also reduces friction for buyers moving to EV ownership.
Owners can add FSD (Supervised) for AU$149 per month. While it still requires driver oversight, the system expands the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance capabilities and reflects Tesla’s software-first approach.
“The default choice for a reason. The Tesla Model Y makes the transition to electric both effortless and rewarding,” Drive wrote.
The 2025 Model Y facelift also sharpened the vehicle’s exterior, highlighted by a distinctive rear light bar that gives the crossover SUV a more modern road presence.
Drive described the Model Y as a benchmark for combining practicality, efficiency and technology at an accessible price point. With eligibility for federal Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions through novated leasing, its value proposition has improved for numerous buyers.
For 2026, the Model Y’s combination of range efficiency, charging access and software capability proved decisive. Ultimately, the award all but cements the Model Y’s position as one of the most influential vehicles in Australia’s evolving new-car market today.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.
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Tesla Model Y L six-seater approved for Australia ahead of launch
The variant was listed as YL5NDB on the Australian government’s ROVER approval website.
Tesla’s six-seat, extended-wheelbase Model Y L has been approved for sale in Australia, as per newly published government documents.
The variant, listed as YL5NDB on the Australian government’s ROVER approval website, has confirmed that Tesla has received regulatory clearance to offer the extended Model Y to domestic customers.
Documents seen by Drive show that the Model Y L has been approved in Australia in a single dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration. While Tesla has not formally announced a launch date, vehicles are typically approved for Australian sale several months before arriving in showrooms.
The Model Y L is a longer version of the regular Model Y, designed to accommodate a six-seat layout with two seats in each row. It measures 177mm longer overall than the regular Model Y, at 4969mm, and features a 150mm longer wheelbase at 3040mm.
Australian approval documents list the Model Y L with the same nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack used in the regular Model Y Long Range, which is expected to have a gross capacity of about 84kWh and a usable capacity of about 82kWh. Output is officially listed at 378kW in government filings, though real-world peak output may differ.
The Model Y L replaces the regular Model Y’s second-row bench with two captain’s chairs featuring heating, ventilation, and power adjustment. Heated third-row seats are also included.
Additional upgrades reported by Drive include an 18-speaker sound system, new front seats with single-piece backrests, and continuously variable shock absorbers. The only wheel option listed for the Australian model is 19-inch wheels.
In Europe, where the Model Y L has also received approval but has not yet launched, the variant is expected to claim up to 681km of WLTP range.
Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
