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SpaceX ships hardware for first 33-engine Super Heavy booster to Starbase

SpaceX has delivered the first 33-engine Super Heavy booster hardware to Starbase. (NASASpaceflight)

Published

4 years ago

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SpaceX appears to have delivered hardware that will eventually become part of the first 33-engine Super Heavy booster to its South Texas ‘Starbase’ factory.

Coming either from SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California headquarters and Falcon rocket factory or a smaller fabrication shop colocated on the company’s McGregor, Texas development and testing campus, the giant coin-like structure was spotted arriving at Starbase on Tuesday afternoon. Unlike Falcon boosters, the latest variant of which relies on a structure known as an octaweb that’s bolted together from dozens of structural elements, SpaceX has moved towards more monolithic ‘thrust pucks’ for Starship and Super Heavy.

Starship’s central ‘thrust puck’ is just two or so meters in diameter and designed to support the ship’s three gimballing Raptor Center (RC) engines. Super Heavy’s ‘puck’ is actually more like a giant steel coin than Starship’s almost conical thrust structure, measuring some 5-6 meters (16-20 ft) across but no more than a few inches (~10 cm) thick. It’s also designed to support a good deal more than three Raptors.

That’s where Tuesday’s deliver becomes significant. Unlike older booster thrust pucks, one of which was actually delivered to Starbase (likely for Super Heavy B6) just last week, this newer puck features a few design changes. Most importantly, it bumps the number of Raptor Center engine hardpoints to 13. Slightly earlier instances – including the puck currently packed with Raptors on Super Heavy Booster 4 (B4) – have an outer circle of eight Raptors and a ninth engine at the very center.

Starship SN10’s three-engine thrust puck, September 2020. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)
A 9-engine Super Heavy thrust puck, May 2021. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

In line with comments made by CEO Elon Musk in early July, SpaceX’s newest Super Heavy thrust puck updates both figures, boosting the outer ring to ten engines and inner cluster to three engines for a total of 13 Raptors. Combined with a ring of 20 fixed Raptor Boost (RB) engines installed on the inside of Super Heavy’s aft skirt, a 13-engine puck will allow SpaceX to install up to 33 engines on Super Heavy boosters.

Using present-day first-generation Raptor 1 engines, a Super Heavy booster with 33 engines installed could produce up to 6100 tons (~13.5M lbf) of thrust at liftoff. Once SpaceX has qualified and ramped up production of next-generation Raptor 2 engines, Super Heavy’s max thrust at liftoff could jump to almost 7600 tons (~16.8M lbf) – more than twice that of the current record-holder, NASA’s famous Saturn V Moon rocket.

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Given that the puck delivered on October 5th appears to be the first of its kind, there’s a decent chance that it will end up not on the first 33-engine Super Heavy – but on a small ‘test tank’ designed to qualify its structural changes. However, even if that’s the case, the next flight-grade 13-engine thrust puck will likely arrive at Starbase in just a month or two when SpaceX sets its sights on the assembly of that first 33-engine booster.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Elon Musk confirms awesome new features at Tesla Diner Supercharger

More details continue to be revealed about the Tesla Supercharger Diner as its opening seems to be imminent.

Published

7 hours ago

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July 19, 2025

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Credit: Brad Goldberg (via Sawyer Merritt on X)

Elon Musk has confirmed a few new features that will be present at the Tesla Diner Supercharger in Los Angeles.

Musk confirmed these two new details as he revealed he recently ate at the Supercharger Diner. We also recently confirmed a few menu items as a soft launch has already occurred, and a public launch date appears to be within reach.

The new features were revealed by Tesla Joy on X. We shared the details, and Musk confirmed that these are, in fact, features of the Diner that Tesla owners will be able to enjoy.

Tesla reveals key detail of Supercharger Diner, but it’s bigger than you think

The Diner is not exclusive to Tesla owners, but these two features do require a Tesla for compatibility purposes.

Order Food from Your Car

As you pull into the Supercharger Diner, you can order any food item you want, including burgers, wings, fries, shakes, cookies, and more, directly from your vehicle.

A prompt will likely appear that will open a menu to the Supercharger Diner, allowing you to order food. An employee will bring the food out, that is, if Tesla decides to continue with a true and traditional 50s diner theme.

We get it, it’s not a groundbreaking feature. It’s still cool, convenient, and another advantage to visit the diner as a Tesla owner.

Movie Screen Audio Will Sync to Your Tesla

There are two massive movie screens that will play various entertainment options during your visit to the Supercharger Diner. There have been movie clips and even SpaceX launch highlights playing during recent drone flyovers at the location on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Instead of having to open your windows to hear the content on the screen, it will instead sync the audio and play directly in your vehicle through your car stereo speakers.

The Supercharger Diner has also appeared on the Tesla app for the first time, and is currently showing 80 stalls at the location:

Although the stalls are not yet active, the culmination of all the details we’ve learned over the past week about the Diner only points to one thing: an imminent grand opening.

Tesla has not yet confirmed a date for the Supercharger Diner’s opening, and Los Angeles building and construction permits also do not state a specific target date for opening.

It seems as if Tesla will reveal the date itself, potentially in the coming week, as it will report earnings on Wednesday, July 23.

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Tesla Supercharger Diner food menu gets a sneak peek as construction closes out

What are you ordering at the Tesla Diner?

Published

2 days ago

on

July 18, 2025

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Credit: BradGoldbergMD | X

The Tesla Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles is nearing completion as construction appears to be winding down significantly. However, the more minor details, such as what the company will serve at its 50s-style diner for food, are starting to be revealed.

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner is set to open soon, seven years after CEO Elon Musk first drafted the idea in a post on X in 2018. Musk has largely come through on most of what he envisioned for the project: the diner, the massive movie screens, and the intended vibe are all present, thanks to the aerial and ground footage shared on social media.

We already know the Diner will be open 24/7, based on decals placed on the front door of the restaurant that were shared earlier this week. We assume that Tesla Optimus will come into play for these long and uninterrupted hours.

The Tesla Diner is basically finished—here’s what it looks like

As far as the food, Tesla does have an email also printed on the front door of the Diner, but we did not receive any response back (yet) about what cuisine it will be offering. We figured it would be nothing fancy and it would be typical diner staples: burgers, fries, wings, milkshakes, etc.

According to pictures taken by @Tesla_lighting_, which were shared by Not a Tesla App, the food will be just that: quick and affordable meals that diners do well. It’s nothing crazy, just typical staples you’d find at any diner, just with a Tesla twist:

As the food menu is finalized, we will be sure to share any details Tesla provides, including a full list of what will be served and its prices.

Additionally, the entire property appears to be nearing its final construction stages, and it seems it may even be nearing completion. The movie screens are already up and showing videos of things like SpaceX launches.

There are many cars already using the Superchargers at the restaurant, and employees inside the facility look to be putting the finishing touches on the interior.

It’s almost reminiscent of a Tesla version of a Buc-ee’s, a southern staple convenience store that offers much more than a traditional gas station. Of course, Tesla’s version is futuristic and more catered to the company’s image, but the idea is the same.

It’s a one-stop shop for anything you’d need to recharge as a Tesla owner. Los Angeles building permits have not yet revealed the date for the restaurant’s initial operation, but Tesla may have its eye on a target date that will likely be announced during next week’s Earnings Call.

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Tesla’s longer Model Y did not scale back requests for this vehicle type from fans

Tesla fans are happy with the new Model Y, but they’re still vocal about the need for something else.

Published

2 days ago

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July 17, 2025

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Credit: AlwinArt/Twitter

Tesla launched a slightly longer version of the Model Y all-electric crossover in China, and with it being extremely likely that the vehicle will make its way to other markets, including the United States, fans are still looking for something more.

The new Model Y L in China boasts a slightly larger wheelbase than its original version, giving slightly more interior room with a sixth seat, thanks to a third row.

Tesla exec hints at useful and potentially killer Model Y L feature

Tesla has said throughout the past year that it would focus on developing its affordable, compact models, which were set to begin production in the first half of the year. The company has not indicated whether it met that timeline or not, but many are hoping to see unveilings of those designs potentially during the Q3 earnings call.

However, the modifications to the Model Y, which have not yet been officially announced for any markets outside of China, still don’t seem to be what owners and fans are looking forward to. Instead, they are hoping for something larger.

A few months ago, I reported on the overall consensus within the Tesla community that the company needs a full-size SUV, minivan, or even a cargo van that would be ideal for camping or business use.

Tesla is missing one type of vehicle in its lineup and fans want it fast

That mentality still seems very present amongst fans and owners, who state that a full-size SUV with enough seating for a larger family, more capability in terms of cargo space for camping or business operation, and something to compete with gas cars like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, or electric ones like the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ.

We asked the question on X, and Tesla fans were nearly unanimously in support of a larger SUV or minivan-type vehicle for the company’s lineup:

Here’s what some of the respondents said:

Tesla is certainly aware that many of its owners would like the company to develop something larger that competes with the large SUVs on the market.

However, it has not stated that anything like that is in the current plans for future vehicles, as it has made a concerted effort to develop Robotaxi alongside the affordable, compact models that it claims are in development.

It has already unveiled the Robovan, a people-mover that can seat up to 20 passengers in a lounge-like interior.

The Robovan will be completely driverless, so it’s unlikely we will see it before the release of a fully autonomous Full Self-Driving suite from Tesla.

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