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Starlink provides free service for 30 days in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene

(Credit: Starlink)

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Starlink’s capability to provide fast, reliable connectivity to disaster zones was proven once again when the satellite internet system was deployed in states that were ravaged by Hurricane Helene. To further help communities that were affected by the natural disaster, Starlink has announced its Hurricane Helene Relief program, which offers 30 days of free internet connectivity to areas affected by the Category 4 storm.

While the deployment of Starlink kits to hurricane-ravaged areas such as North Carolina has become an unfortunately political topic, Starlink’s contributions to people who were affected by the storm are undeniable. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, SpaceX announced on X that about 500 Starlink kits have been deployed by private individuals and organizations to help with recovery efforts. 

Separately, FEMA noted in a press release that it had deployed 40 Starlink kits to help with responder communications in North Carolina, with one terminal being deployed per county EOC to assist with communications and continuity of government. FEMA also noted that an additional 140 Starlink kits were being deployed. As of writing, FEMA noted that it has helped provide 67 total Starlink kits to North Carolina, including three terminals for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and four terminals for critical lifeline locations as determined by the state.” 

Amidst continued efforts to reestablish communication and connectivity in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, a number of private individuals who were donating Starlink kits asked Elon Musk if the satellite internet service could be made free for a period for time in disaster zones. Musk responded to these requests on X, stating that SpaceX was making a system update that would allow Starlink kits in disaster areas to work regardless of payment. 

In a later post on X, Starlink’s official account announced the launch of its Hurricane Helene Relief program, which provides 30 days of free connectivity to terminals operating in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. Starlink provided the following terms and conditions, as well as instructions, to new and current users in disaster zones: 

Hurricane Helene Relief

Starlink aims to enable anyone impacted by a natural disaster to be able to access internet connectivity.

For those in areas that were impacted by Hurricane Helene, Starlink is available and temporarily offering free service for the first month.

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If you are impacted by Hurricane Helene, or are looking to enable rapid assistance for responding to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, and need to access this 30 day free service option, please follow the steps below:

New customers:

  1. Go to starlink.com/residential
  2. Enter your address, and click order now
  3. Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check out
    • Note – Only service areas impacted by Helene will display the “Helene Relief” service option. if you do not see the $0 option, your area is not eligible. If you believe this is in error, please let us know by contacting support.

Current customers activating additional kits purchased from a retailer:

  1. Go to starlink.com/activate
  2. Enter your Starlink kit identifier
  3. Enter your address, click search
  4. Select “Residential”
  5. Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check out
  6. Repeat for each kit, if adding more than one
    • Note – We have temporarily increased the kit limit to 20 kits per residential account. If you need to add more than 20 kits to your account for large account activation assistance for emergency response groups, please contact support requesting Helene assistance.

Current customers:

If you are in need of assistance due to Hurricane Helene as a current customer, please create a support ticket requesting a Helene relief credit. Our teams will evaluate eligibility based on the same impacted areas as above.

Other information to know

  • After 30 days, we will move you to a paid Residential subscription, tied the location you are using it in at that time. We will reevaluate as necessary based on conditions in the area. Starlink will notify you as the 30 day mark approaches to remind you of the change.
  • There may be limitations on the ability to transfer these kits or continue free service outside of the disaster region. More details will be added here as necessary.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla is building its largest Supercharger on the East Coast in New York City

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tesla store in New York City
Credit: Tesla

Tesla is building its largest East Coast Supercharger in New York City, planning to bring a 64- to 68-stall station to Queens, New York.

It will end up being tied for the largest Supercharger on the East Coast with this number of stalls. The largest on the Eastern Seaboard is located in Halifax, North Carolina, and is also 68 stalls.

The location is also set to be fitted with two pull-through stalls for EVs with trailers. We’ve seen Tesla implement these types of parking spots at newer locations as EV ownership continues to expand to those who do more than simply drive their cars.

There are plenty of Superchargers in the New York City metro, but they are mostly located in boroughs outside of Manhattan. There are five Superchargers in various neighborhoods of Manhattan, but there are limited plugs; usually only four per location. There are plenty of Destination Chargers in the Big Apple, though.

Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn have become popular locations for companies to build out charging infrastructure for those who live in the highly populated boroughs. There is simply much more real estate to build effective EV charging stations.

Tesla spends $18M to expand Supercharging in New York City

The Supercharger will be located in Maspeth, Queens, at 48-26 54th Road. Maspeth has I-495 running through it, so this will be a great location for Tesla owners to hop off the highway on their way to Long Island or to Manhattan to charge up before continuing their journey.

Tesla has done a really great job of expanding its charging footprint throughout the past several years, especially by building large-scale projects that cater to areas that have a high volume of traffic and are main routes of travel to major areas. Tesla is making an effort to make charging less stressful and more widely available in these concentrated regions.

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SpaceX just launched a secret payload from California

SpaceX launched a classified Space Force mission from Vandenberg, revealing almost nothing about its payload.

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Space Force officials say the Falcon 9 booster pictured here in SpaceX's rocket factory will have to wait a few months longer for its launch debut. (SpaceX)

SpaceX launched a classified Falcon 9 mission for the U.S. Space Force from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday night, and the government released almost nothing about what was on board. The mission, designated USSF-366, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E with a window that opened at 9:52 p.m. ET and ran into the early hours of Sunday, according to SpaceX’s own mission page, which described the payload only as classified. SpaceX confirmed the launch on its X account and pointed viewers to a livestream that began roughly ten minutes before liftoff.


The lack of detail did not stop analysts from filling in the blanks. Independent tracking of the rocket’s stage drop zones matched the pattern SpaceX has used on previous Starlink Group 15 missions, according to reporting from Outer Space Today, which pointed to Starshield as the likely payload rather than a one off government satellite. Starshield is SpaceX’s national security product, a version of the Starlink satellite bus built to Pentagon specifications for earth observation, communications and hosted payloads. Unlike consumer Starlink, government agencies do not have to disclose what Starshield satellites are actually doing once they reach orbit.

USSF-366 is the latest entry in a steady flow of classified and semi classified work between SpaceX and the Space Force. The company picked up a $178.5 million task order in April to launch missile tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency, as Teslarati reported at the time, and followed that in July with a $1.6 billion award covering 18 more Falcon 9 missions from Vandenberg through the end of 2027, also detailed by Teslarati. Add those contracts up and SpaceX’s Pentagon business for 2026 alone tops $8 billion.

SpaceX scores another massive Pentagon deal to support military satellites

The Falcon 9 that flew Saturday landed back near the launch site, producing the sonic booms that have become routine for residents near Vandenberg. What is less routine is how little the public will likely ever learn about what the rocket carried. SpaceX and the Space Force have not confirmed the Starshield connection, and government satellite programs built on commercial buses rarely get identified beyond a mission number and a general orbit. For a company that live streams almost everything else it does, from Starship test flights to Optimus robot demos, USSF-366 is a reminder that some of SpaceX’s busiest work now happens entirely out of public view.

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Tesla V2L adapter for Model Y stirs up a new complaint among owners

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Credit: Tesla

On Friday, Tesla launched the Outlet Adapter that enabled Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) energy transfer, meaning owners could essentially utilize their cars as a power source for things like laptops, electric grills, or string lights.

However, even owners of some of the newest builds of the Model Y are finding out that their cars are not compatible with the new $80 accessory, stirring up a new complaint among members of the community.

Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.

Upon the release of the Outlet Adapter on Friday, I signed into my Tesla account to order the accessory. However, I was met with the dreaded “This product is not compatible with your 2026 Model Y” message at the bottom of the screen.

Some said their accounts also displayed the same message, but they ordered anyway. However, they might be surprised to find that this is no mistake; some of the newest Model Ys do not have the appropriate Power Conversion System (PCS). Mine, which was ordered on this day last year and delivered on August 31, has the old 48A, single-phase PCS.

Vehicles with the new, two-piece PCS are able to utilize V2L features on their cars:

Obviously, it’s disappointing. Many owners have taken delivery this year and still can not utilize the Outlet Adapter because their cars feature the old PCS:

It looks like if you have one of these older PCS units, you can upgrade, but the parts alone are $1,750, and that’s before Tesla adds labor for installing. It is honestly more logical to get some kind of portable power supply or power station at that point.

It is great that Tesla has enabled V2L for Model Y vehicles, but it is also unfortunate that vehicles that are less than one year old are not able to take advantage of this awesome new feature.

With that being said, it truly is a first-world problem; can you really complain when Full Self-Driving is available, maintenance is incredibly inexpensive, and the car has been so good through a year of ownership?

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