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Tesla’s software-like approach to its Gigafactories is working wonders in Berlin
If one were to state last year that the pace of Gigafactory Berlin will be faster than the buildout of Gigafactory Shanghai, one would likely have been laughed out of the room. Germany, after all, is not known for incredibly rapid buildouts, as represented by the long delays that have plagued the construction of the now-notorious Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). Yet the first phase of Giga Berlin stands today, seemingly poised to meet the hyper-aggressive targets set forth by Elon Musk.
Elon Musk has noted that Gigafactory Berlin could start producing the Model Y as early as next year. That’s an insane target, especially following apparent delays during the GF4 site’s tree-clearing period. Yet once the actual construction of Giga Berlin’s Phase 1 area started, the pace of the whole project changed. And not long after, it became evident that Germany could end up pulling off the impossible: it may very well beat China’s already record-setting pace in building Giga Shanghai.
Part of this lies in Tesla’s utilization of prefabricated materials for Gigafactory Berlin, which allows pre-made sections of the facility to be set up quickly. But this is only part of what makes the practical magic happen in Berlin. As shared recently by industry veteran Alex Voigt, a good part of the reason behind Giga Berlin’s stunning pace is due to Tesla’s software-like approach to the project. Thanks to this approach, the company is able to avoid the usual pitfalls of Germany’s construction initiatives.
Local reports point to the factory shell of Giga Berlin’s drive unit facility possibly being completed in less than three weeks. To meet this target, the Berlin staff reportedly communicate on an everyday basis with the company’s US team. These calls require the US team to be awake at around 3-4 a.m. local time, but Tesla nevertheless ensures that it is reachable by the Germany team during their work hours. Interestingly enough, Elon Musk himself is reportedly present in these calls, allowing him to get a clear outlook of Giga Berlin’s day-to-day progress.
Apart from these, Tesla has reportedly adopted a rather unique permit process for Giga Berlin. Instead of doing all permits at once like in traditional German construction projects, Tesla is reportedly using a system where many permits are requested in small steps, starting with a rough first design and moving on from there. This allows the company to work fast, while providing itself with enough space to adjust if it needs to. Voigt noted that this approach shows Tesla’s Silicon Valley roots, with the company pretty much building Giga Berlin like a software program.
Today, the Gigafactory Berlin site is busy with activity, with prefabricated panels being set up and numerous heavy machinery operating in the area. What’s quite remarkable is that Giga Texas, a facility that will likely be even more expansive than Giga Berlin, is moving at a pace that seems to be even faster than the Germany-based site. Gigafactory Texas was only confirmed less than a month ago, but drone flyovers of the Phase 1 zone in Travis County reveal that a leveled section of the area seems to be getting prepared for ground-breaking. Pile drivers have also been spotted on the Giga Texas site.
Watch a recent flyover of the Gigafactory Berlin site in the video below.
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H/T Alex Voigt and @GF4Tesla.
Elon Musk shed two new bits of detail on Starship following its 13th test launch, which was an overwhelming success.
SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time last Friday after two delays: one on Monday when several Raptor engines did not ignite, and another on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Starbase, Texas.
The launch was overwhelmingly successful. SpaceX was able to complete a necessary test of the heat shield tiles by increasing the acceleration of Starship from launch throughout the flight; 20 Starlink v3 satellites were released with no issue; the Super Heavy Booster landed safely in the Gulf of America, Ship successfully reignited engines while in space; and it also splashed down without incident in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
Nevertheless, more details are coming out about Starship, and Musk is doing the talking.
Starship Will Be Retrieved in the Ocean
Musk revealed on Tuesday night that Starship would be recovered by a ship in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX routinely tries to recover Starship after splashdown in an effort to find out more about the flight by examining the spacecraft afterward.
We’re sending a ship out to recover Starship https://t.co/fUqUZTITO9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2026
This helps engineers find out more about why things might have happened, allows them to examine any potential damage or anomalies that might have occurred, and increases the chances of an even more successful flight next time thanks to the additional information recovered.
Ship Could Have Been Caught by Tower Arms, Musk claims
Musk has already indicated that SpaceX will plan to attempt a catch of Starship with the 14th test flight. While this would be a major accomplishment, it would be an expected next step, considering the fact that the Super Heavy Booster has already been caught by the chopsticks on numerous occasions.
The ship landing was precise, meaning that it would have been caught by the tower arms https://t.co/6nbNrRfX9P
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
A ship catch would be a great indication of where SpaceX stands in terms of reusability and launch cadence. A successful catch with relatively no incidents would be a good sign that SpaceX is nearing a more frequent launch of Starship, but also that the reusability of the massive rocket would be something many would expect in the near future.
It is a necessity to make life multiplanetary.
Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.
The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.
Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”
People on Mars in roughly 5 to 7 years.
Mars lander a few years sooner.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”
Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.
Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.
In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.
The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.
SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.
Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.
SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.
It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.
The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.
Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.
Elon Musk sheds two new bits of detail on Starship after 13th test launch
Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars
