In an announcement at a meeting with the Nevada Board of Education last Thursday, Tesla officials stated that it would be issuing an initial grant of $1.5 million to the state’s K-12 education system. The donation is the first part of a $37.5 million grant that Tesla is set to roll out for the next few years, as a means for the company to help develop STEM talent within the state.
According to Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Tesla’s grant, which would be released on a quarterly basis, will give students more access to specialized fields of study such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). In a statement to the Nevada Appeal, Tesla CTO JB Straubel stated that the electric car maker and energy company expects STEM jobs in the state to increase over the coming years.
“The demand for STEM jobs in Nevada will continue to grow dramatically over the next few years,” Straubel said.
Tesla selected the recipients of the initial $1.5 million grant together with teachers, business leaders, and Nevada government officials. The first round of recipients includes $315,550 to FIRST Nevada and $127,100 to Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, which would allow schools to establish premier robotics programs. $263,924 will also be given to the DRI at UNR as well, to develop teacher training programs on robotics and STEM.
The Envirolution, Inc. is set to receive $262,700, which would enable the institution to develop a STEM program that focuses on energy sustainability, as well as projects that push energy efficiency to local Nevada schools and businesses. $200,000 will also be granted to Jobs for Nevada Graduates for the development of mentoring and employability skills. Sierra Nevada Journeys is set to receive $154,083 to implement programs that would foster interest in STEM fields at an early age. The grant will also be used to provide 250 scholarships for students in underserved communities, where qualifying individuals could attend overnight learning programs.
Lastly, $76,643 will be granted to Energetics Education for a pilot Solar Rollers program in Washoe County, which would challenge high school students to design, build, and race solar-powered radio-controlled vehicles. An additional $50,000 each at Washoe and Clark school districts will further be distributed to expand special assignment roles in Career and Technical Education offices.
Tesla’s grant to Nevada’s education system was outlined in the company’s documents from October 2014. As noted by auto journalist Bozi Tatarevic on Twitter, Tesla’s donations for the state’s education system is part of Gigafactory 1’s incentive package. In the filings submitted by Tesla then, the electric car and energy company pledged to make direct contributions to the state’s K-12 programs, together with a $1 million grant to fund advanced battery research at the UNL, as well as a pledge to support the state’s the veterans.
“Tesla will make direct contributions to K-12 education of $37.5 million beginning August 2018; grant $1 million to fund advanced battery research at UNLV; prioritize the employment of Nevadans and Veterans.”
Tesla takes part in this year’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. [Credit: Tesla]
As noted in Tesla’s Gigafactory incentive deal, the battery facility is expected to increase regional employment by 10%, with a total economic impact of around $100 billion. This economic impact is expected to increase Nevada’s regional GDP by 20%. The Gigafactory is also estimated to generate around $1.9 billion in total financial impacts.
Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada is tasked with the production of the battery packs and drivetrains for the Model 3, the company’s first attempt at a mass-market electric car. Over the past year, Gigafactory 1 has largely grown from within as Tesla continued the production ramp of the electric sedan. This past Q2 2018, reports emerged that robots and additional machinery from Tesla Grohmann Automation in Germany were transported by air from Europe. The robots were reportedly installed at the Gigafactory to enable Tesla to address production bottlenecks in the Model 3’s battery module line.
Despite its already massive size, Gigafactory 1 is less than 30% complete. Fully built, Gigafactory 1 will be the world’s largest building by physical footprint, covering 13 million square feet.
Investor's Corner
SpaceX is launching a secret spacecraft that could change how things are made in space
SpaceX’s secret disk-shaped Starfall capsule is targeting a market no reentry vehicle has cracked.
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, June 23 for the first flight of Starfall, a reentry capsule the company has developed almost entirely in private. The Falcon 9 launch window opens at 6:43 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a backup window available the same time on June 24. SpaceX has made no public announcement about the vehicle, only providing launch details. Everything known about it has come through FAA and FCC regulatory filings.
What makes Starfall different starts with its shape. Rather than the traditional cone used by Dragon and every other cargo return capsule in operation, Starfall is a flat disk that measures roughly 10.2 feet (3.1 meters) wide and just 2.5 feet (0.75 meters) tall, and weighing 4,630 pounds (2,100 kg) and capable of returning up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) of payload from orbit. The disk geometry maximizes structural efficiency and payload volume relative to mass, and the heat shield mechanically jettisons just before splashdown, allowing recovery teams to retrieve both the capsule and the shield separately from the Pacific Ocean.
The difference with Starfall from existing competitors, such as Varda Space Industries, which has largely built the orbital manufacturing market and returns heavy payloads per flight is that Starfall’s specification is roughly 30 times more per mission, and is designed to be mass-produced and launched on either Falcon 9 or Starship. That combination of volume and launch access is something no standalone startup can replicate, and it puts SpaceX in direct competition with the companies that currently pay it to reach orbit.
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The intended market is orbital manufacturing: pharmaceuticals, protein crystals, semiconductors, and advanced optical fiber that physically cannot be produced in the presence of gravity. FAA documents describe Starfall’s long-term purpose as building a “self-sustaining commercial in-space manufacturing market” and as a potential successor to the industrial capabilities of the International Space Station, which is set to retire in the late 2020s. Military rapid global cargo delivery is a parallel application under active discussion with the Pentagon.
The reason some industries seek manufacturing in space comes down to gravity. On Earth, gravity causes materials to settle, separate, and deform during production. In microgravity, those constraints disappear.
SpaceX’s already controls launch access, which means it currently functions as the landlord for every competitor in the orbital manufacturing return space. Starfall converts that landlord position into vertical ownership, and it would no longer just carry other companies’ capsules to orbit, but rather operate the capsule, own the return logistics, and capture the service revenue directly. Viewed alongside Starlink, Colossus, and the xAI merger, Starfall fits a consistent pattern: SpaceX identifying infrastructure layers that others depend on and moving to own them outright. Orbital manufacturing return is the next layer on that list.
If Tuesday’s reentry, parachute sequence, and recovery demonstration goes as planned, the second FAA-approved test flight follows. A successful pair of demos would position SpaceX to begin offering Starfall as a commercial service, likely first to pharmaceutical and materials science customers before scaling toward the military and broader manufacturing segments.
The Tesla Semi was spotted mounted with ground truth validation equipment as the company nears its looming launch. The Semi is Tesla’s Class 8 all-electric truck, and has been utilized in its earlier stages by many companies like PepsiCo. and Frito-Lay, who have been using it in a pilot program.
The Semi was spotted in Sunnyvale, California, and sports a typical ground truth validation unit that Tesla routinely uses on its vehicles. Ground truth validation is essentially the process of training supervised algorithms to ensure they can perform reliably. Tesla typically performs this on vehicles that are being released soon:
Spotted the new semi adorned with ground truthing equipment. Haven’t seen anyone post this so figured I’d share.
The future is autonomous!!@SawyerMerritt @wholemars pic.twitter.com/qkPDHPUQZ6
— Danny (@dannywinner1) June 21, 2026
The Semi being spotted with this type of validation rig is important because it means the company is working on solidifying a Full Self-Driving model for its commercial vehicle offering. This would be a massive development for not only Tesla but also the logistics industry as a whole.
There are strict regulations on driving hours for commercial truck drivers, and autonomy is a way to potentially combat these issues. FSD is already a widely effective way that owners of typical passenger vehicles take stress out of travel. Even launching a semi-autonomous platform for truck drivers to use to increase safety, reduce fatigue, and increase productivity would be a huge development.
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The Semi has already proven to be an ideal solution for companies that use commercial logistics. It has increased efficiency and reduced operating costs for many companies that have been able to use it in pilot programs.
There are expected to be some bumps along the way. Tesla saw some challenges with FSD on the Cybertruck, as it had never had a vehicle with cameras at that height, so some of the features with FSD were not immediately available. Just a week ago, Tesla launched Actually Smart Summon (ASS) for Cybertruck, nearly three years after the vehicle was first delivered to customers.
President Donald Trump unveiled an upgraded Boeing 747-8 at Joint Base Andrews on June 19, 2026, describing the Qatar-gifted aircraft as an interim Air Force One equipped with advanced communications systems, including Starlink, Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite internet service.
The plane, valued at around $400 million and modified for presidential use, serves as a bridge until the delayed VC-25B replacements arrive. Trump highlighted its luxury features and new technology during remarks to service members.
Trump stated:
“We have communication equipment up there that nobody’s ever seen before. It’s the highest level and, uh, including Starlink. My friend Elon is going to be very happy, but, uh, Starlink and we have, uh, four or five different sets of double and triple communications like people haven’t seen.”
He added:
“And it represents what can happen with hard work, innovation, and aggressive timelines because we did this quickly and yet there’s never been communication like is on this plane.”
🚨 President Trump confirmed today that the new Air Force One is equipped with Starlink:
“We have communication equipment up there that nobody’s ever seen before, it’s the highest level and including Starlink…my friend Elon is going to be very happy.” pic.twitter.com/IhkDmtr5hL
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) June 20, 2026
The aircraft features a redesigned red, white, and blue livery and has been outfitted with Starlink satellite connectivity alongside other secure systems.
Trump praised the plane’s uniqueness, calling it among the world’s most luxurious. The gift from Qatar and subsequent modifications have drawn attention, with the jet positioned as a solution for presidential travel. It is expected to support operations, including potential ceremonial roles such as Fourth of July flyovers.
The event marked the formal introduction of the converted jet, which will help maintain capabilities while the primary Air Force One fleet undergoes modernization. Defense observers note the inclusion of commercial satellite technology like Starlink as part of efforts to ensure resilient communications, crucial to keep the country running as the President is in the sky.
President Trump’s comments underscored appreciation for rapid upgrades and innovation in equipping the aircraft. The plane remains a U.S. government asset and is slated for eventual transfer related to presidential library purposes after its service.
SpaceX is launching a secret spacecraft that could change how things are made in space
Tesla Semi spotted with ground truth validation equipment as launch looms
