Update #2: SpaceX has successfully delivered Starlink 4-4 – batch of 52 new satellites – to low Earth orbit (LEO), completing the first of three back-to-back Falcon 9 launches scheduled less than three days apart.
Starlink 4-4 marks the 98th successful Falcon landing, the first time SpaceX has performed a non-polar Starlink launch from its West Coast pad, and the first time a Falcon 9 booster has completed 11 orbital-class launches and spaceflights. Up next, SpaceX is scheduled to launch Turkey’s Turksat 5B geostationary communications satellite out of its Cape Canaveral, Florida LC-40 pad. Falcon 9 could lift off as early as 10:58 pm EDT, Saturday, December 18th (03:58 UTC 19 Dec) – just 15 hours after Starlink 4-4. Set in September 2021, SpaceX’s current record is two launches in ~44 hours.
Update: SpaceX’s second dedicated West Coast Starlink launch has slipped to no earlier than (NET) 1:24 am PDT (09:24 UTC) on Saturday, December 18th. Headed to an orbit unusual for a Vandenberg Space Force Base launch, Starlink 4-4 could now lift off just 18 hours before a different SpaceX mission – Turksat 5B – lifts off from the opposite side of the country.
Barring delays to Cargo Dragon’s CRS-24 space station resupply mission, which remains scheduled for 5:06 am EDT on December 21st, that means that SpaceX is now on track to launch three Falcon 9 rockets in three days (less than 73 hours).
SpaceX appears to be on track to round out a record-breaking year with three Falcon 9 launches in four days.
With the diverse trio of missions, SpaceX will orbit another batch of laser-linked Starlink satellites, deliver a large communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), send a Dragon to space for sixth time this year, and break at least two company records. The first mission, known as Starlink 2-3, could occur as early as the morning of December 17th, kicking off an incredibly busy period of launches – and not just for SpaceX.

Starlink 2-3
Referring to the fact that the mission will be the third launch for the second distinct group or ‘shell’ of Starlink satellites, Starlink 2-3 will actually be the second dedicated launch to a semi-polar orbit, leapfrogging Starlink 2-2 for unknown reasons after Starlink 2-1’s successful September launch. Originally scheduled to launch in mid-October, SpaceX was forced to stand down just a few days before liftoff for unknown reasons and at least a week or two of delays soon put Starlink 2-3 at risk of clashing with the company’s upcoming NASA DART launch, which unsurprisingly took precedence. SpaceX successfully launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission on November 24th.
Late on December 13th, tugboat Scorpius likely departed Port of Long Beach with SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) in tow – a fairly airtight confirmation that a SpaceX launch is just a handful of days away. Based on safety Notices to Airmen and Mariners (NOTAMs/NOTMARs), Starlink 2-3 is scheduled to launch sometime between 12am and 6am PDT (UTC-8) on Friday, December 17th. If accurate and SpaceX stays on schedule, Falcon 9 could lift off from the company’s Vandenberg SLC-4E launch pad with Starlink 2-3 in tow just 22 days after a different Falcon 9 rocket launched DART – smashing the pad’s current 36-day turnaround record by almost 40%.

Aside from drastically increasing the maximum theoretical launch cadence SpaceX’s West Coast pad is capable of supporting, Starlink 2-3 is also expected – as it was in October – to fly on Falcon 9 booster B1051, potentially making the mission the first time a liquid rocket booster has completed eleven orbital-class launches. B1051 debuted in March 2019, sending an uncrewed Crew Dragon on its way to orbit for the first time. Before SpaceX’s Starlink launch cadence fell off a cliff in the second half of 2021, B1051 completed its tenth launch on May 9th, 2021, averaging one launch every ~80 days over a two-year career. Starlink 2-3 will be B1051’s first launch in 7 months and eleventh launch in 33 months.
Turksat 5B
As early as 11:58 pm EDT (UTC-5) on Saturday, December 18th, another Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch Turkey’s Turksat 5B geostationary communications satellite from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral LC-40 pad. There’s a good chance that former Falcon Heavy booster B1052 – recently converted into a Falcon 9 after more than two years in storage – will be assigned to the mission, which is set to be SpaceX’s 30th orbital launch in 2021.

CRS-24 and more!
Finally, a different Falcon 9 (possibly B1062 or even a new booster entirely) is scheduled to launch a new Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft on CRS-24 – potentially the company’s 23rd operational International Space Station (ISS) resupply run since October 2012. It will be Falcon 9’s sixth Dragon launch of 2021 – another record for SpaceX and the spacecraft. If the schedule holds, CRS-24 could lift off as early as 5:06 am EDT (UTC-5) on Tuesday, December 21st and would be SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 launch in roughly 100 hours (a little over four days). CRS-24 is expected to be SpaceX’s 31st and final launch of 2021, beating out the 26-launch record it set just last year.
However, the rest of the world isn’t quite finished. As early as the day after CRS-24, an Ariane 5 rocket is scheduled to launch the almost $10 billion, NASA-built James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Decades in the making, JWST will be the single most expensive payload and the largest space telescope ever launched and is functionally irreplaceable and hard (but not impossible, if the political will is there) to repair, making it perhaps the most universally nerve-wracking uncrewed launch in the history of spaceflight.
News
Tesla App now shows you what your Supercharger will look like upon arrival
The Tesla App is now giving owners a better indication of what to expect when visiting a Supercharger site, as it is now sharing Site Maps in the app itself, making the feature no longer exclusively available in the car.
Tesla owners can now preview a Supercharger’s layout and live stall status from their phone thanks to the App’s new software version, v4.61.0. Zooming into a supported Supercharger on the charging map now switches the familiar street view into a site-specific map that shows stall positions, occupied bays, out-of-service posts, and a live count of open Superchargers.
It will even show you which specific Tesla model is charging at each occupied stall.
You can now see Live Site Maps in the latest Tesla app (4.61.0.) pic.twitter.com/JIL8QzR8hu
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) September 18, 2026
This is the same view drivers first saw inside the car with the 2025 Holiday Update, which started as a pilot for Tesla in California and Texas. Those early maps showed layout, nearby amenities, and the status of each operational stall. The feature has spread to most Superchargers in the U.S., but now Tesla wants the feature available through the Smartphone App, which is now rolling out to owners.
The in-vehicle screen maps remain a richer 3D canvas and originally required AMD Ryzen infotainment hardware, which left many Intel-based Model 3 and Model Y owners without the view. The app version removes that hardware barrier, so any owner can now get a preview of their upcoming Supercharger stop on their phone.
Anyone with the updated version of the app can open a Site Map on their phone. The feature has provided some additional peace of mind to anxious travelers and those who might be looking for a place that is less congested for faster charging speeds. It is a meaningful addition to many owners, especially for trips to unfamiliar locations.
You can now pick a Supercharger location that might be more aligned with what you are looking for or need: you can pick a site based on what stalls are open, where ADA stalls sit, how you will pull in, and more, instead of circling a crowded lot after arriving. Owners of older cars now have access to the feature without having to purchase a new vehicle altogether.
Site Mpas will not reserve a stall, nor will it change how Fast Charging works. Tesla does something simpler and more useful by giving owners a dedicated preview of the Supercharger they’re about to charge, turning an unknown parking lot into a place that may seem more familiar thanks to the preview.
Interested in ordering a Tesla? Use my referral code for three free months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) here.
Investor's Corner
Tesla Optimus Gen 3 shows off a cleaner, factory-ready design in new app discovery
Renders hidden inside Tesla’s Android app show Optimus Gen 3’s design before any official reveal.
Tesla may have accidentally given a first look at its newest Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot when photos were found in the Tesla smartphone app.
Design files tucked inside a recent Android version of the Tesla app appear to show the third generation humanoid robot next to the older Gen 2.5 prototype. The assets were extracted from the app package by Tesla community member @wholemars, who posted the renders on X late Tuesday night before deleting them. The Tesla Newswire reshared the side by side comparison on Wednesday, and the images have circulated widely since.

Tesla Optimus Gen 2.5 vs Gen 3 comparison via @WholeMars on X
The files are labeled “gen3” and were built as models for Tesla app’s own interface, as validated directly by Grok to be official.
The comparison shows a robot that looks built for a factory line rather than a lab bench. Gen 2.5’s exposed mechanical linkages and gold plating on the knees and shins are gone. In their place, Gen 3 uses matte black fairings on the lower legs, paired with a more contoured champagne gold body. Flexible covers now seal the joint where the torso meets the upper thighs, keeping bearings and moving parts sealed from debris and unnecessary contact.
The body panels fit more tightly, and the hands, which Tesla has said carry 22 degrees of freedom, look far more refined than those on earlier units.
This most recent leak fills a gap Tesla has left open for most of the year. Elon Musk said on March 31 that Optimus 3 was walking around but needed “some finishing touches” before it could be shown, a delay Teslarati covered when Tesla missed its first quarter reveal target. Musk later said Tesla would hold the design back until closer to production, partly to keep competitors from copying it. No reveal date has been announced.
The app itself has been preparing for Optimus for months. In July, code in the Tesla app pointed to a dedicated robot phone key, a consent screen for collecting video and spatial data while Optimus works inside a home, and an alert system for low battery and mechanical faults. Finished 3D models of Gen 3 suggest the interface owners will eventually use is moving past placeholder code toward something Tesla intends to ship.
Manufacturing is moving in parallel. Tesla tore out the original Model S and Model X lines at Fremont this summer to make room for Optimus production, with a planned capacity of one million robots a year. At Giga Texas, the steel frame of a dedicated Optimus factory is nearing completion ahead of a targeted 2027 start, with Musk pointing to an eventual output of 10 million units annually.
News
Tesla Semi lands the biggest electric truck deal in U.S. history
Tesla leads a record 2,500 truck order, but not every truck will be a Semi.
Tesla has landed the largest electric truck order in U.S. history. ZET SCALE, a new alliance of shippers and carriers, named Tesla its primary manufacturer on Tuesday for an initial order of 2,500 electric Class 8 trucks. The deal alone would nearly double the number of electric heavy trucks operating in the country.
According to the press release from Catalyst Mobility, the nonprofit formerly known as CALSTART, Kenworth, RIDE and Volvo were also selected as secondary manufacturers that carriers can pick if their operations call for it. No split between the four brands has been published, so the exact number of Semis in the order is not yet known.
Tesla was selected as the primary OEM for the largest electric Class 8 order in the US by ZET SCALE, a new shippers’ alliance
With 2,500 Semis on order, this will double the entire US electric Class 8 fleet
We’re serious about scale, and ZET SCALE is too!… pic.twitter.com/IiTAdzgken
— Tesla Semi (@tesla_semi) September 22, 2026
Tesla won the top slot through a competitive request for proposals. The alliance, which Catalyst Mobility runs with the Smart Freight Centre, scored bidders on price, range, charging capability and production capacity. Pooling freight demand from founding shippers, including Microsoft and PepsiCo, let every truck maker bid lower than it would for a single fleet. “The Tesla Semi is designed for lower cost per mile operations than diesel,” said Dan Priestley, director of the Tesla Semi program, as noted in the press release.
The financing is built to pull in carriers who have avoided electric trucks. ZET Financial is issuing the purchase order for all 2,500 units and will place them with fleets through a fair market value lease. The trucks will be deployed over the next few years across 10 freight hubs in Los Angeles, Stockton, Bakersfield, Seattle and Tacoma, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Newark and New York area. ZET SCALE says the first order is only the opening round, with a longer term goal of 10,000 trucks or more.
Even if Tesla ends up with only a majority share, it would still be the biggest Semi deal to date. Einride’s 500 unit order in August was the previous record, and WattEV’s 370 truck order in May was the largest California deal at the time. Einride’s CEO has since said he expects all 500 trucks delivered by the end of 2027.
The announcement lands two days before Tesla formally inaugurates its Semi factory in Nevada on September 24. The 1.7 million square foot plant sits next to Gigafactory Nevada’s 4680 cell lines and is designed for 50,000 trucks a year.