As Starlink becomes more popular for its high-speed internet services, its rise in popularity on smartphones will grow as well. It’s well on its way according to SensorTower, an app-tracking firm. On Wednesday, the Starlink app was the 54th most downloaded iPhone app for users in the U.S.
The Starlink app, which is free to download, helps customers set up and use the hardware to receive internet service. It also monitors the connection and the speed. At the end of the day on Thursday, Starlink had fallen out of the top 100 and ranked 107.
It wasn’t in the top 200 today but it is likely to change over time as SpaceX continues to expand the internet service. Wednesday’s ranking was a first for Starlink and Stephanie Chan, an analyst for SensorTower told PCMag that she could only speculate on the reason why.
Screenshot of Starlink’s raking on Thursday 9/22
“As for why it broke into the top 100 rankings yesterday on the iOS store, we can only speculate,” she said.
“It’s possible that because Starlink has been in the news lately (e.g. adding more satellites to its network, seeking exemptions so that they can service Iran) that it has helped raise awareness or bolster curiosity about it.”
The tracking firm estimated that Starlink’s total app installations on both the Apple App Store and Google Play totaled around 2.3 million times globally since January 2021. The top three countries that use the space-based internet service are the U.S, Ukraine, and Canada.
What’s notable is that Starlink hasn’t been advertised on any network. Starlink isn’t the only product by a company founded by Elon Musk that doesn’t need advertising nor is it the first.
“Its largest markets by installs are the U.S. with approximately 887,000 installs or about 38% of total downloads, followed by Ukraine with 806,000 installs (35% of lifetime downloads) and Canada with 209,000 installs (9%),” Chan said.
SensorTower found that in March, the app saw its highest amount of downloads after SpaceX began shipping dishes to Ukraine which has over 12,000 Starlink dishes.
Earlier today, Elon Musk announced that he was activating Starlink in response to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s tweet announcing the issuing of a General License to provide the Iranian people with access to digital communications. He also said last week that Starlink is only meant for peaceful use only.
Starlink is meant for peaceful use only
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 17, 2022
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk argues lidar and radar make self driving cars more dangerous
The CEO is not just stating that using sensors like lidar is unnecessary to achieve self-driving.

Elon Musk is taking a firmer stance in the vision vs lidar debate for autonomous driving. In his more recent comments, the CEO is not just stating that using sensors like lidar is unnecessary to achieve self-driving.
Musk is stating that using lidar actually makes self-driving cars more dangerous.
Uber CEO’s comments
During a recent interview, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi shared his thoughts on the autonomy race. As per the CEO, he is still inclined to believe that Waymo’s approach, which requires outfitting cars with equipment such as lidar and radar, is necessary to achieve superhuman levels of safety for self-driving cars.
“Solid state LiDAR is $500. Why not include lidar as well in order to achieve super human safety. All of our partners are using a combination of camera, radar and LiDAR, and I personally think that’s the right solution, but I could be proven wrong,” the Uber CEO noted.
Elon Musk’s rebuttal
In response to the Uber CEO’s comments, Elon Musk stated that lidar and radar, at least based on Tesla’s experience, actually reduce safety instead of improving it. As per the Tesla CEO, there are times when sensors such as lidar and radar disagree with cameras. This creates sensor ambiguity, which, in turn, creates more risk. Musk then noted that Tesla has seen an improvement in safety once the company focused on a vision only approach.
“Lidar and radar reduce safety due to sensor contention. If lidars/radars disagree with cameras, which one wins? This sensor ambiguity causes increased, not decreased, risk. That’s why Waymos can’t drive on highways. We turned off the radars in Teslas to increase safety. Cameras ftw,’ Musk wrote.
Musk’s comments are quite notable as Tesla was able to launch a dedicated Robotaxi pilot in Austin and the Bay Area using its vision-based autonomous systems. The same is true for FSD, which is quickly becoming notably better than humans in driving.
News
Tesla Model Y L sold out for September 2025
This was hinted at in Tesla China’s configurator for the all-electric crossover.

It appears that the Tesla Model Y L has been sold out in China for September 2025. This was hinted at in Tesla China’s configurator for the all-electric crossover.
Model Y L deliveries
Since the Model Y L’s official launch earlier this month, Tesla has been pretty consistent in the idea that the extended wheelbase variant of its best-selling vehicle will see its first deliveries sometime in September. This was quite an impressive timeframe for Tesla, considering that the Model Y L has only been launched this August.
Nevertheless, both Tesla China’s Model Y configurator and comments from company executives have noted that the vehicle will see its first customer deliveries in September. “Tesla cars are fun to drive alone, whether you have children or how many children, this car can meet all your needs. We will deliver in September and wait for you to get in the car,” Tesla China VP Grace Tao wrote on Weibo.
October 2025 deliveries
A look at Tesla China’s order page as of writing shows that the earliest deliveries for the Model Y L, if ordered today, would be October 2025 instead. This suggests that the six-seat Model Y variant has effectively been sold out for September. This bodes well for the vehicle, and it suggests that it is a variant that may be able to raise Tesla’s sales numbers in China, as well as territories where the Model Y L could be exported.
Rumors of the Model Y L’s strong sales have been abounding. After the vehicle’s launch, industry watchers estimated that Tesla China has received over 35,000 orders for the Model Y L in just one day. Later estimates suggested that the Model Y L’s orders have breached the 50,000 mark.
News
Starship Flight 10 rescheduled as SpaceX targets Monday launch
SpaceX said it is now targeting Monday evening for Starship’s 10th flight test.

SpaceX stood down from its planned Starship Flight 10 on Sunday evening, citing an issue with ground systems.
The launch attempt was scheduled during a one-hour window that opened at 7:30 p.m. ET, but it was called off just 17 minutes before the window opened. SpaceX said it is now targeting Monday evening for Starship’s 10th flight test.
Flight 10 rescheduled
A lot of excitement was palpable during the lead up to Starship Flight 10’s first launch window. After the failures of Starship Flight 9, many were interested to see if SpaceX would be able to nail its mission objectives this time around. Starship itself seemed ready to fly, with the upper stage being loaded with propellant as scheduled. Later on, SpaceX also noted that Starship’s Super Heavy booster was also being loaded with propellant.
However, 17 before the launch window opened, SpaceX noted that it was “standing down from today’s tenth flight of Starship to allow time to troubleshoot an issue with ground systems.” Elon Musk, in a post on X, further clarified that a “ground side liquid oxygen leak needs to be fixed.” Musk did state that SpaceX will attempt Flight 10 again on Monday, August 25, 2025.
Starship and SpaceX’s development goals
The fully integrated Starship system is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built, standing over 400 feet when stacked. Composed of the reusable Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage, the vehicle is central to SpaceX’s long-term ambitions of lunar and Martian missions. NASA has already selected Starship as the crewed lunar lander for Artemis, with its first astronaut landing mission tentatively set for 2027, as noted in a Space.com report.
So far, Starship has flown nine times from Starbase in Texas, with three launches this year alone. Each flight has offered critical data, though all three 2025 missions encountered notable failures. Flight 7 and Flight 8 ended in explosions less than 10 minutes after launch, while Flight 9 broke apart during reentry. Despite setbacks, SpaceX has continued refining Starship’s hardware and operations with each attempt. Needless to say, a successful Flight 10 would be a significant win for the Starship program.
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