News
SpaceX installs Starship Raptor engine, moves next test forward as storms near
SpaceX has installed a Raptor engine on its sixth Starship prototype in preparation for a static fire test that is now scheduled later this week.
Originally planned no earlier than (NET) Monday, August 24th, SpaceX recently moved the Starship test window forward 24 hours to Sunday, August 23rd. Why is a mystery but the company may be attempting to squeeze in the test before a tropical storm is expected to make landfall in South Texas.
Per NOAA, the impact of that storm will begin to be felt at SpaceX’s Boca Chica factory as early as Sunday, bringing with it a ~20-40% chance of rain showers and thunderstorms from Sunday to Thursday, at minimum. SpaceX weathered a glancing blow from Hurricane Hanna just a few weeks ago and it’s looking like the week of August 23rd will have fairly similar – if not milder – conditions.
The forecast for Sunday shows a 20% chance of rain storms and thunderstorms, meaning that there’s at least an 80% chance that SpaceX – barring technical delays – will be able to attempt Starship SN6’s first static fire test sometime between 8am and 8pm local (UTC-5). Like all previous SNx Starship prototypes, that test will begin with a wet dress rehearsal – pressurizing and loading the rocket with liquid methane and oxygen – and proceed into what is known as a Raptor spin prime.
If the engine spins up its turbopumps with pressurized helium (spin prime) without issue, SpaceX will recycle the flow and follow with a preburner tests, ensuring that the hardware that turns Raptor’s propellant into combustible gas is working as expected. Finally, if both of those tests are completed, SpaceX will recycle the flow once again (essentially moving the countdown clock back) and attempt a Raptor ignition and static fire.
Given enough confidence in the engine and Starship prototype, SpaceX could technically move directly from a WDR into a static fire attempt with no delay in between, as a static fire technically begins with a sort of (incredibly brief) spin prime and preburner test. It’s more likely that SpaceX will choose a more cautious multi-step test for the first major Raptor operations with a new Starship prototype.
Based on Starship SN5’s successful static fire and hop test debut just three weeks ago, Starship SN6 could be ready for its own hop debut as early as Friday, August 28th, assuming a successful static fire on the first attempt and a few aborted hop attempts after that. If SpaceX avoids all delays, SN6 could technically hop as early as Thursday. According to CEO Elon Musk, the reason SpaceX is attempting another short Starship hop in the first place is to “smooth out [the] launch process” and “make flights simple & easy — many per day.”
As such, it’s actually reasonable to assume that SpaceX will try to test and hop Starship SN6 more quickly than SN5. Whether the company can manage that challenging feat with early Starship prototypes remains to be seen, of course, but if the coming storm doesn’t pose too much of a threat, we’ll find out soon enough.
Check out Teslarati’s Marketplace! We offer Tesla accessories, including for the Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Model 3.
News
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.
News
Tesla FSD (Supervised) fleet passes 8.4 billion cumulative miles
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.
The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable.
As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
