Recent rumors have emerged that point to the idea of a Tesla Gigafactory being established in the United Kingdom. This is a bit surprising considering that the company is already in the process of building Gigafactory Berlin, which is located nearby in Germany. Yet in the grand scheme of things, establishing a dedicated facility in the UK actually makes a lot of sense. It could even be a stroke of minor genius.
The rumors of a potential Gigafactory UK initially emerged after European news agency AM-Online posted a report stating that the UK’s Department of International Trade (DIT) was on the hunt for a 4 million sq ft plot of land that would be utilized as a space to build an R&D center and manufacturing plant for Tesla. A DIT spokesperson initially related the information to local publication Property Week, which reports on commercial and residential real estate news in the area.
Even more interestingly, avid Tesla critics who were prone to following the flight paths of Elon Musk’s private plane have noted that the CEO had landed at the Luton Airport on Wednesday. The purpose of Musk’s visit remains unknown, of course, though his presence in the country added fuel to the rumors of a potential Tesla facility hosted in the United Kingdom.
In a way, a dedicated Tesla facility in the UK makes perfect sense, especially considering that the country uses vehicles that are Right Hand Drive (RHD). Over the years, Tesla has started vehicle deliveries in the UK later compared to other countries due to this reason. The Model 3 is a perfect example, with the UK only receiving the all-electric sedan in mid-2019, far later than countries that are Left Hand Drive.
The UK is not the only country that follows RHD. Thus, if Tesla could make RHD-only vehicles from a dedicated UK plant, it would allow the company to ramp and roll out electric cars faster to countries that are Right Hand Drive. The size of the facility would probably not even need to be as expansive as Gigafactory Shanghai or Gigafactory Berlin, as the facility would only be making vehicles of a specific variation.
Tesla’s vehicle business may not be the only reason behind Musk’s recent visit to the United Kingdom as well. A ramp of Tesla Energy in the country may also be a key reason behind the CEO’s recent trip. Just last month, after all, reports revealed that Tesla had applied to become an electricity generator in the UK. In its application to the UK’s Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, Tesla requested for a license that would allow it to generate electricity to supply “any premises” in Great Britain.
With this in mind, it appears that Tesla’s rumored Gigafactory UK might actually be allotted for the ramp of Tesla Energy in the country. Such a facility would benefit the company if it intends to become a key player in the UK’s utility sector, and it complements Gigafactory Berlin very well. With a facility in Berlin producing vehicles and a factory in the UK focusing on the energy side of the company’s business, Tesla would be able to adopt an aggressive two-pronged ramp in the European region.
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While addressing investors and analysts at the first quarter earnings call, Elon Musk stated that the next Gigafactory would be announced within the next three months or so. When the CEO stated this, it was widely assumed that Musk was referring to the Cybertruck Gigafactory, which will be established in the United States. But perhaps Musk was referring to more than one Gigafactory announcement. Or perhaps the Cybertruck facility is not considered a Gigafactory anymore due to its speculated “Terafactory” moniker. If that’s the case, then perhaps Gigafactory UK may very well be feasible.
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
