News
SpaceX outfits Starship, Super Heavy with dozens of Raptor engines
New photos shared by SpaceX show that the company has nearly finished installing a total of 39 upgraded Raptor engines on a new Starship and its Super Heavy booster.
Those prototypes – known as Ship 24 and Booster 7 – could be tasked with supporting Starship’s first orbital launch attempt sometime later this year if both make it through upcoming test campaigns without major issues. Whether that’s a probable outcome is still uncertain but recent progress suggests that it won’t take long for the prospects of both prototypes to shift into clearer focus.
After several rounds of proof testing and two trips to and from SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas orbital launch site (OLS) in March, April, and May, Super Heavy Booster 7 (B7) made its third trip to the pad on June 23rd.
“SpaceX used the six weeks Booster 7 spent back in a factory assembly bay to finish installing aerocovers, surfaces known as chines or strakes, car-sized grid fins, Starlink internet dishes, and – most importantly – 33 upgraded Raptor V2 engines. Combined, Booster 7 could produce up to 7600 metric tons (~16.8M lbf) of thrust at or before liftoff. Crucially, SpaceX also finished installing most of Booster 7’s Raptor heat shield in the same period, completing in six weeks work that took Booster 4 closer to half a year. With its heat shield and all 33 Raptors mostly in place, Booster 7 should be ready to kick off static fire testing almost as soon as it’s installed on Starbase’s orbital launch mount.”
Teslarati.com – June 24th, 2022
Building, qualifying, shipping, and installing 33 new Raptor 2 engines on Super Heavy B7 was already an impressive achievement and produced the most (potentially) powerful rocket booster ever assembled. On July 2nd, a pair of photos published by SpaceX showed off Booster 7’s nearly-finished engine section and simultaneously revealed that the company has finished installing all six of Starship S24’s Raptor engines – and even part of the ship’s aft thermal protection.
Differences are already visible between Ship 24 and Ship 20, the only other Starship prototype to have six Raptors installed. The most notable change is the addition of a metal framework that covers the entire breadth of the ship’s aft – most likely destined to support flat sections of insulation and thermal protection that will partially seal off sensitive engine, plumbing, pressure vessels, and avionics components located inside Starship’s aft. That extra shielding should help limit the extreme conditions that hardware will be subjected to during ground testing and, perhaps, in flight.
Super Heavy Booster 7 has already completed a significant amount of testing, including four cryogenic proofs (cryoproofs) and one Raptor thrust simulation test. Since its third return to the pad, SpaceX has several more ambiguous tests, none of which appeared to involve cryogenic propellant loading. It’s possible that those tests focused more on Booster 7’s pressurization system, perhaps filling its tanks with the hot oxygen and methane gases it will eventually use to pressurize its tanks. It’s likely that SpaceX wants to put Booster 7 through at least one successful wet dress rehearsal – using real liquid methane and oxygen propellant – before attempting to static fire any of its 33 Raptors. Booster 7’s aft thermal protection system also isn’t entirely complete, so technicians will need to finish installing several more panels before any static fire testing.
Alongside B7, Starship S24 has completed a good amount of cryoproof and Raptor thrust simulation testing, which it survived without any irreperable issues. The ship was then returned to an assembly bay on June 9th, where where workers have been installing heat shield tiles, finalizing the ship’s engine section, and completing dozens of other less visible closeout tasks. SpaceX also recently finished modifying one of its two suborbital test and launch mounts for Starship static fire testing, leaving the other mount semi-permanently modified for cryoproof and thrust simulation testing of future prototypes.
SpaceX has requested permission for road closures – each a potential 12-hour test window – on July 5th, 6th, 7th, 11th, and 12th.
News
Tesla gets new information request from NHTSA on Robotaxi rollout
Tesla has been contacted by the NHTSA regarding plans for the Robotaxi rollout and how it will handle poor weather.
Tesla has been contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding its planned rollout of a Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.
The agency sent a letter to Tesla Field Quality Director Eddit Gates, seeking more information on exactly how the company plans to operate the fleet in poor weather conditions. The NHTSA wants to know how Tesla’s technology and operational use cases will “assess the ability of Tesla’s system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.”
Additionally, the NHTSA said it would like additional information on Tesla’s development of technologies for use in ‘robotaxi’ vehicles to understand how Tesla plans to evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for public roads.
Tesla has already started operating a supervised version of the Robotaxi platform for employees in both Austin and San Francisco. This limited rollout has completed thousands of rides already, but differs from the version it plans to roll out in the coming weeks in Austin, as it currently has a driver sitting in the driver’s seat.
Tesla says it has launched ride-hailing Robotaxi teaser to employees only
They are there to supervise the vehicle and ensure safety early on in the program.
The letter that was sent to Tesla on May 8 is part of a greater investigation that was opened by the NHTSA on October 17, titled “FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions.”
The agency said the purpose of the “Preliminary Evaluation of FSD” was to assess:
- The ability of FSD’s engineering controls to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions;
- Whether any other similar FSD crashes have occurred in reduced roadway visibility conditions and, if so, the contributing circumstances for those crashes; and
- Any updates or modifications from Tesla to the FSD system that may affect the performance of FSD in reduced roadway visibility conditions. In particular, this review will assess the timing, purpose, and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact.
Tesla is required to respond to the NHTSA’s request by June 19.
INIM-PE24031-62887 by Joey Klender on Scribd
News
Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas
The recent footage featured an apparent test car that looks very similar to a vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory last month.
Tesla has been very secretive about the “more affordable models” that it intends to start producing in the first half of 2025, but the company does seem to be quite busy testing something interesting in the Giga Texas complex. This was, at least, as per recent aerial footage from a longtime Giga Texas watcher.
The recent footage featured an apparent test car that looks very similar to a vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory last month.
New Giga Texas Sighting
In a post on X, longtime Giga Texas watcher and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer noted that he recently spotted a rather unique test car in the factory complex. The vehicle was under a car cover, but it was evidently missing its body panels and roof. Interestingly enough, it seemed to be shaped like a Model Y (it even had Model Y wheels), though it looked a bit more compact than another Model Y that was parked next to it.
Interestingly enough, a rather similar test car was spotted at another Tesla plant, the Fremont Factory in California, last month. Tesla watcher Met God in Wilderness, who has been posting aerial videos of the Fremont Factory for years, shared some footage from a drone flyover in mid-April. One of the vehicles captured in the flyover was an apparent test car that was parked next to fully-built Model Y and Model S vehicles. The test car in this sighting also looked like a compact crossover, and it was also missing its roof and body panels.
Tesla’s Affordable Cars
In the Q1 2025 Update Letter, Tesla noted that “plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025.” In the Q1 earnings call, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy stated that Tesla’s affordable cars would resemble the company’s existing vehicles, though they will be more affordable.
These comments suggested that Tesla’s affordable cars, which have been informally dubbed by the EV community as the “Model 2 or Model Q,” will look a lot like its two mass market vehicles, the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. “Models that come out in the next months will be built on our lines and will resemble, in form and shape, the cars we currently make. And the key is that they’ll be affordable, and you’ll be able to buy one,” Moray stated.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk invited to attend investment summit in Saudi Arabia: report
Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.
A planning note reported viewed by Reuters has indicated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been invited to a Saudi-U.S. investment forum in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to be held on Tuesday.
Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.
Musk’s Invitation
As per Reuters, the upcoming investment forum is expected to be attended by some of the most distinguished people in the investment world. These include the CEOs of high-profile companies such as Blackrock, Citigroup, IBM, Boeing, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines, among others, the publication noted.
Considering the other attendees of the event, Elon Musk would likely fit right thanks to his leadership of companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, as well as his close ties with the Trump administration through his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk and Saudi Arabia
Elon Musk’s relationship with Riyadh have notably improved since the start of Trump’s second term as United States president. Highlighting this improvement was Tesla’s launch in Saudi, which was held in April. Tesla’s launch was a notable event based on videos posted of the occasion, with the company showcasing some of its most exciting products, including Optimus, the Cybertruck, and the Cybercab, its self-driving robotaxi.
Tesla’s launch in Saudi Arabia, as well as his reported invitation to the upcoming investment forum, suggests that the CEO’s feud with Yasir Al Rumayyan, head of the $925 billion Public Investment Fund, has ended. The PIF Head was among the people involved in Elon Musk’s infamous “funding secured” tweet in 2018, which resulted in hefty fines and his removal as Tesla’s Board Chair. The PIF also sold its Tesla holdings and invested in another EV company, Lucid Group Inc.
Tesla gets new information request from NHTSA on Robotaxi rollout
Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas
Elon Musk invited to attend investment summit in Saudi Arabia: report
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