Space

Elon Musk Gives Update on Construction of Ocean Launch Platform

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

According to CEO Elon Musk, SpaceX is currently constructing the floating spaceport platform named “Deimos” and plans to begin launching rockets from it as early as next year. The company also has plans for a twin platform called “Phobos.”

The two platforms are named after the two moons of Mars, a slight departure from its humorous naming of ocean-based assets like the drone barges “Of Course I Still Love You” and “Just Read the Instructions.” This echoes Elon Musk’s ambitions for a permanent Martian settlement, made possible by Starship spacecraft that are capable of ferrying large numbers of passengers and tons of cargo to the red planet.

The company is converting oil rigs that it purchased for the new launch platforms. It plans to both launch and land rocket stages on these platforms and will primarily use them for the Starship rockets, which are still under development.

SpaceX plans to use Starship for travel to other worlds, including Mars. It can also position the ocean-based launch platforms that are similar to Deimos and Phobos for convenient hypersonic point-to-point travel on Earth. Travelers could use it to get from New York to Beijing in less than half an hour, for instance. Elon Musk has also discussed the possibility that Starship could be used to clean up “space junk” like defunct satellites that haven’t yet burned up in the atmosphere and may pose a threat to active orbiting hardware.

CEO Elon Musk’s primary interests are in orbital and interplanetary applications of Starship and the accompanying Super Heavy booster, though. The Human Landing System that SpaceX is developing for NASA (and is currently officially on pause due to a challenge from rival Blue Origin) is a derivative of Starship, for instance.

He has acknowledged that such a venture will be risky and a lot of people are likely to die on a frontier world like Mars. On the flip side, his plans have been endorsed by people like theoretical physicist Michio Kaku and Mars Society president Robert Zubrin. Zubrin did add that Musk may need to work with other like-minded experts and entrepreneurs in order to pull it off, even though he is working on an important part of it: actually making it possible to get people to Mars.

“SpaceX is taking on the biggest single challenge, which is the transportation system. There’s all sorts of other systems that are going to be needed,” said Robert Zubrin.

Elon Musk discusses Mars at the 2020 Mars Society Virtual Conference

Musk had originally planned to have the platforms ready by the end of 2021. However, like many of his ambitious timelines, delays in their development cause that to be pushed back to as early as 2022. SpaceX may need the extra time for testing of the Starship rocket. It recently successfully launched and landed a Starship prototype in one piece after going through four explosions of a prototype during or shortly after landing. The company is also planning an orbital test of Starship that will launch from its Boca Chica, Texas, test facility and come down off the Hawaiian coastline.

Technology

Tesla Recalls Model 3, Model Y Vehicles With Flaw in Braking System

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla has issued a voluntary recall of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that may have a manufacturing flaw affecting the braking system. The recall impacts Model 3 vehicles made between December 2018 and March 2021 and Model Y vehicles made between January 2020 and January 2021. Owners of these vehicles received an email saying that they could schedule an appointment to have the issue fixed at no charge to them.

“We are not aware of any crashes or injuries relating to this condition,” Tesla said of the issue.

The braking system’s issue seems to be related to the brake caliper bolts, which may not have been secured correctly. They could come loose over time and cause the brake caliper to come in contact with the inner surface of the wheel rim. This could prevent the wheel from rotating freely.

“In such rare circumstances, abnormal noise may occur, and the wheel may be prevented from freely rotating, which could cause tire pressure loss,” Tesla said in the email.

Tesla vehicle owners did say that they noticed some notice with their brakes making noise or acting unreliable. They were often able to make appointments to have their brakes inspected and hopefully fixed pretty quickly. A few owners did gripe that they tried to have the suspected issue with their brakes looked at before the recall was issued and the technicians attempted to make it out to be normal.

Previous recalls of Tesla vehicles include vehicles with a suspension issue in China. Tesla has also previously recalled Model X vehicles with a bolt in the steering system that could come loose and Model Y vehicles with an issue with its roof trim. The United States regulatory agency NHTSA issued a recall of 158,000 Tesla vehicles with faulty media control units last January. On the flip side, the NHTSA found no fault in Tesla vehicles in reported cases of sudden unintended acceleration, saying that the acceleration could have been caused by driver error.

Tesla has also previously been accused of ignoring safety issues, including ones that may cause a dangerous situation like the alleged sudden unintended acceleration. One recent lawsuit brought by Tesla owners accused the company of attempting to cover up a suspension issue in Model X and Model Y vehicles. Reported issues like these caused Consumer Reports to downgrade the Model S and Model Y in its most recent Auto Reliability Survey.

The company did respond to a fatal crash of a Tesla in Texas in which the Autopilot was initially blamed and reports of Californian residents abusing the Autopilot in ill-advised stunts by activating the camera mounted to the rear view mirror. The camera will monitor driver alertness while Autopilot is engaged. Tesla claims that video footage from this camera will not leave the vehicle despite concerns about privacy.

The NHTSA has not yet issued an update on the most recent recall on its website. Neither NHTSA nor Tesla have issued statements on the recall. The latest available information on recalls of consumer products, including motor vehicles, can be found on Recalls.gov.

Technology

Tesla Activates Interior Camera to Track Driver Alertness

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In the wake of a fatal crash in Texas in which Tesla’s Autopilot was initially blamed and a few reported incidents of Californian Tesla owners riding in the back seat of a driverless Tesla vehicle, Tesla has activated an interior camera that can track the alertness of the driver while Autopilot is active.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla’s Autopilot has been involved in three fatal crashes since 2016. According to the company, the move is being made for safety reasons, though it claims that it’s not meant to be an invasion of privacy. In a release note to Tesla owners, it said:

“The cabin camera above your rearview mirror can now detect and alert driver inattentiveness while Autopilot is engaged. Camera data does not leave the car itself, which means the system cannot save or transmit information unless data sharing is enabled.”

Some privacy activists may call this an unwarranted invasion of privacy after a few instances of Tesla vehicles doing something stupid as a stunt even though Tesla claims that it doesn’t intend to transmit data from the rear view camera. It simply intends to address the safety issues made obvious by the cases of people engaging in dangerous stunts like riding in the back seat of a driverless Tesla with Autopilot activated.

Tesla cameras have captured footage of crimes like this one, in which someone keys a Tesla vehicle.

On the flip side, the cameras have been used as part of “Sentinel Mode” to capture evidence of vandalism or theft targeting Tesla vehicles. Tesla recently patched a security flaw involving the key fob that would have enabled the theft of a vehicle in only a few minutes. Onboard cameras assisted in cracking a recent case in which a suspect in a Springfield, Missouri, arson and hate crime case was caught on camera attempting to remove a Tesla vehicle’s tires.

Tesla’s website includes the disclaimer that its self-driving software is not yet ready for full autonomy and drivers should remain alert and in control at all times. California’s DMV backed that up with an internal memo saying that the capabilities of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software have been overstated by CEO Elon Musk after anonymous engineers reported to the DMV that the company may be exaggerating the software’s capacity and rate of development. Musk had claimed that his goal was to bring it out of beta by the end of the year, though this may be one of his characteristically unrealistic deadlines that will probably be missed.

Musk had previously dismissed tracking eye movements as “ineffective” for gauging alertness. The Autopilot had previously relied on detecting that a driver was in the driver’s seat with hands on the wheel. Now the notes for the most recent update say that the cabin camera mounted to the rear view mirror will “detect and alert driver inattentiveness while Autopilot is engaged.”

Tesla appears to be increasingly pushing for reliance on cameras despite recent actions by the Chinese government that include banning Tesla vehicles at government and military facilities due to concerns that the cameras could capture footage of sensitive activities. It recently ended the use of radar in Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in North America in favor of a purely camera system. Since Tesla made the change, Consumer Reports removed the Model 3’s “top pick” status for safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also removed the Top Safety Pick Plus award.

On the flip side, a Tesla vehicle with manufacturer’s plates was seen roaming Floridian streets with the lidar system that Elon Musk previously dismissed as a “crutch.” This appears to be part of a deal between lidar manufacturer Luminous and Tesla to test the technology for Tesla’s driver assist programs. It remains to be seen whether Tesla intends to integrate lidar into vehicles equipped with Autopilot or Full Self-Driving software, since it does take up space on the roof and Tesla owners who like to haul kayaks or camping gear on the roofs of their vehicles might not like that too much.

Technology

Tesla Seeks to Secure Supply of Semiconductor Chips Amid Global Shortage

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

A global shortage of semiconductor chips has put a crimp on automakers’ ability to produce electric vehicles. The shortage is expected to cost the auto industry as much as $110 billion. Now Tesla is seeking ways to solve issues in this part of its supply chain by securing its own stockpile of semiconductor chips.

This could come in the form of paying in advance for them, which comes with the risk that manufacturers might be unable to deliver this critical component due to possible complications related to geopolitics. Tesla is already wrangling with China over the use of its electric vehicles, which appears to have started with the Chinese government banning the parking of Tesla vehicles at government-owned facilities. Sales of Tesla vehicles have been sliding in China in recent months despite record-setting worldwide deliveries in 2020 and Q1 2021.

In vehicles, semiconductors are most often used to enable the electrical components that have replaced purely mechanical systems as vehicles became more technologically advanced. Advances in semiconductors make it possible to extend an electric vehicle’s range and extend its battery life. They are also used in the onboard computers that make driver assist programs like Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software possible.

Many of the chips used in the automotive industry come from Taiwan and South Korea. Taiwan is an island off the Chinese coast and the source of a dispute in which the People’s Republic of China lays claim to it, but others say that it is an independent country officially known as the Republic of China, to which many Chinese Nationalists fled during the Chinese Civil War that ended with a Communist victory in 1949.

Unfortunately, Taiwan is also a major exporter of semiconductor chips. The automotive industry relies heavily on one Taiwanese producer called the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is the world’s largest semiconductor foundry and produces 12 million semiconductor chips a year. These chips can be routed through several companies that include NXP Semiconductor, Infineon, Intel, STMicro, and Texas Instruments, but TSMC is their ultimate source.

Tesla may not want to jeopardize the source of its semiconductor chips due to ongoing tensions between the United States and China and the dispute over Taiwan. It is also considering the acquisition of a plant that produces semiconductors. Insider sources say that this plan is still in an early stage due to the likely high upfront cost of acquiring a plant. The acquisition process is also likely to take time and there is a possibility that Tesla will consider adding the ability to produce semiconductor chips to one of its existing Gigafactories at some point in the future.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may favor the latter plan, considering that he has a history of pushing for greater control over supply chains. The company has previously discussed purchasing nickel from mining firms based in North America due to the stronger regulatory controls and potential for more environmentally friendly mining operations. It has also considered a lithium mining operation not far from its factory in Nevada and already produces the majority of the hardware that goes into its cars in-house. For this reason, Elon Musk can more confidently speak of updates to his company’s manufacturing process such as a more efficient battery-making process that uses less water and fewer moving parts.

Technology

Tesla Drops Use of Radar, Will Rely on Cameras for Autopilot

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla has dropped the use of radar in favor of a purely camera sensor system for the Autopilot on new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in North America. According to Tesla’s blog, the camera system will be used for features like automated lane-keeping and traffic-adjusted cruise control. The move appears to have been initially announced in a March tweet by Elon Musk.

This news comes in the wake of a Florida resident capturing photos of what appears to be a test vehicle making use of Luminar’s lidar system on the streets of Palm Beach, Florida. Elon Musk had previously criticized the idea of using lidar for automated driving software, calling it a “crutch and a “fool’s errand.”

A switch to a purely camera system may be designed to save both money and computing power when compared to a system that includes radar. In a statement to shareholders, Tesla said that “a vision-only system is ultimately all that is needed for full autonomy.”

Some regulators and engineers may disagree with this assessment. Earlier this month, Tesla engineers quietly informed California’s DMV that Elon Musk overstates the capability of Full Self-Driving and it may not come out of beta this year, as Musk had claimed. Tesla’s official website includes the disclaimer that Tesla vehicle owners should remain alert and in control at all times when operating their vehicles, including when the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software is active.

According to an internal memo written by a staff member at the California DMV and obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is currently regarded as being a Level 2 on Society of Automotive Engineers’ scale of automated self-driving vehicles. Level 5 self-driving vehicles would be capable of handling most conditions on the road with minimal driver input.

“The ratio of driver interaction would need to be in the magnitude of 1 or 2 million miles per driver interaction to move into higher levels of automation” than Tesla’s software is currently at, according to the internal memo.

Tesla’s driver assist programs had been blamed for some accidents, including a recent one in Texas that killed two men, although authorities later backtracked and said that the Autopilot likely wasn’t active at the time of the crash. The California Highway Partrol arrested a Californian man who was seen riding in the back seat of a driverless Tesla in an apparent attention-seeking stunt. Another California man who had recorded himself using Autopilot without his hands on the wheel reportedly died in an accident earlier this month. A Consumer Reports study did show that it is possible to trick the Full Self-Driving software into thinking that someone was in the front seat even when it was empty.

Tesla says that, while Autopilot makes the transition to a fully camera system, some features like Smart Summon and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance may be disabled at the time of delivery. This will give the development team behind the Autopilot time to make adjustments to the system. Elon Musk says that updates to accommodate the removal of radar are expected to be released in about two weeks, though experts say that this could be delayed.

Most of Tesla’s competitors are making use of lidar or radar with the development of their self-driving vehicles. Despite Musk’s criticisms of lidar, experts say that these systems add an extra level of functionality to the sensor system of a self-driving vehicle and are especially useful in weather conditions in which visibility would be reduced. Tesla does intend to keep radar in the higher-priced Model S and Model X vehicles and has made no changes to Model S and Model Y vehicles made in China or meant for markets outside of North America.

Technology

Far-Left Activists Claim Responsibility for Suspicious Fire at Gigafactory Berlin

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

German police are investigating a fire at Gigafactory Berlin as a possible arson case with political motives after far-left activists claimed responsibility for it. The fire damaged several power cables leading to the Tesla facility and an area of about three square meters surrounding it.

Investigators are currently examining a letter that was circulated on social media and posted on a radical left website in which the activists claimed that “Tesla is neither green, ecological nor social.” The environmentalists who claim responsibility for the fire seem to ignore the fact that Elon Musk has made comments saying that he plans to make gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles obsolete and Tesla is also making efforts to expand renewable energy production, ranging from providing 85 Megapack batteries to Apple’s solar farm being constructed in Germany to helping to install 20 Superchargers at a Fastned charging station in Düsseldorf, Germany.

German environmentalist groups had previously won a partial victory against Tesla in a case in which they accused the company of not doing enough to protect endangered wildlife species during its construction of Gigafactory Berlin. The United States and Germany are also currently investigating allegations that Tesla violated emissions standards related to its manufacturing of electric vehicles.

Tesla is currently fighting a court battle in the United States to have Obama-era environmental regulations reinstated after they had been delayed by the Trump Administration. It says that the delay hurt the carbon credit market. Tesla can earn billions of dollars every year by selling carbon credits because, overall, it makes an upfront investment to exceed regulatory standards and can sell the “excess” carbon savings to corporations that don’t.

The carbon credit market has often been criticized by environmental activists as a way for many companies to dodge having to invest in more environmentally friendly technologies and meet regulatory standards. Volkswagen recently signed a deal with Tesla China to buy carbon credits to give itself more time to develop its own electric vehicle manufacturing capacity, for instance. Because of the billions of dollars that companies like Tesla can earn in carbon credit sales every year, some environmental activists have called Tesla a carbon credit selling company that makes electric vehicles on the side, despite the fact that it also delivered nearly 500,000 vehicles in 2020 and a quarterly record 184,800 vehicles in Q1 2021.

New Gigafactories like the ones being built in the Berlin and Austin areas will add to its already solid ability to deliver electric vehicles. Elon Musk is serious enough about hiring qualified people for his companies to have made $30 million in donations for community improvement projects and education in the vicinity of his SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in a bid to attract engineers. He has also called for more housing in the Austin area after saying that it is likely to be the next boom town. The Gigafactory in Austin is expected to employ 10,000 people and SpaceX is building a manufacturing facility for Starlink satellites in the area. So it may be that Elon Musk intends for Tesla to be a car company that can sell carbon credits on the side, rather than a carbon credit selling company that incidentally also sells electric vehicles.

The suspicious fire, though annoying for Tesla and serious enough to warrant an investigation by law enforcement, is unlikely to have caused enough damage to slow down the final “grand opening” of Gigafactory Berlin any more than it is already. Tesla had previously expressed frustration with the bureaucratic red tape slowing down the final approval of Gigafactory Berlin. It had to delay the opening of the Gigafactory, which had originally been planned for June, due to the bureaucratic holdup in approval.

This could partly be due to changes to its plans for the Gigafactory, including the addition of plans for a battery cell plant, along with the issues that environmentalists have with the factory. Once the factory is opened, it could produce as many as 500,000 Model Y vehicles per year and provide thousands of jobs for the area.

Space

Peggy Whitson to Command Axiom-2 Mission

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command Axiom’s second fully private mission to the International Space Station. Pilot and champion GT racer John Shoffner will serve as the mission’s pilot. The mission will make use of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner currently serve as the backup crew for the Axiom-1 (AX-1) mission, which will fly in early 2022. The Crew Dragon is the first privately owned spacecraft to dock to the International Space Station with missions like Demo-2, Crew-1, and the currently active Crew-2, which ferry NASA’s astronauts to the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon is also the first crewed spacecraft to launch from United States soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.

Peggy Whitson on accumulating 665 days in space

Peggy Whitson’s astronaut career includes three increments, known as “Expeditions,” on the International Space Station. She became its first woman commander when she commanded Expedition 16 in 2007 and was also designated as the space station’s first Science Officer. Over the course of her three Expeditions, she conducted ten EVAs, or “spacewalks,” to conduct maintenance and support continued construction of the International Space Station. She accumulated more than 60 hours of EVA time, which as of May 2017, put her at third place for most total EVA time. Whitson also served as the chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office from 2009 to 2012.

“I’m thrilled to get to fly to space again and lead one of the first of these pioneering missions, marking a new era of human spaceflight,” Whitson said in a press release issued by Axiom Space.

Besides being a pilot and GT racer, John Shoffner also works in life science research in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has expressed an interest in the life science research being conducted on the International Space Station. As part of the mission, he will work on a project that could assist with translating terrestrial single-cell genomic methods to an orbital science process as part of a collaboration with a California-based biological product development firm named 10x Genomics.

“Growing up, I closely followed every NASA flight of Gemini and Apollo. Now to experience astronaut training teamed with Peggy is an honor. I am also excited about our upcoming work with 10x Genomics in this first step towards making their single-cell technologies available to researchers in a microgravity environment. I look forward to the process of testing and validating this technology for future groundbreaking work in low-Earth orbit,” he said in the press release.

Whitson and Shoffner are currently conducting training for the mission, including helping develop the protocols for the project for 10x Genomics, as well as studying International Space Station systems and spacecraft operations for the Crew Dragon.

Axiom plans to compete for possible slots to send private missions to the International Space Station as frequently as once every six months, pending NASA approval and as ISS traffic allows. The ISS ports sometimes get busy enough that the crew has to move crewed spacecraft from one port to the other, as the Crew-1 astronauts had to do for their Crew Dragon to make room for Crew-2.

Private missions on the Crew Dragon are made possible because NASA’s contracts with SpaceX do not demand the exclusive use of hardware developed for recent NASA programs like Commercial Crew. Other private missions using the Crew Dragon and possible derivatives of SpaceX’s “crew-rated” spacecraft include Inspiration4, which was organized by Sian Proctor as a way to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and promote his E-commerce software package, Shift4Shop. Inspiration4 recently finalized its crew of 4 people, including Proctor.

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise and movie director Doug Liman has also booked a ride to the International Space Station to film footage “on location” for a movie project. The mission is expected to launch in October 2021. Previously, such a project would have required a ride on a jet plane that has been specially modified to simulate weightlessness for brief periods using parabolic arcs.

These missions and the newly announced Axiom-2 mission are signs of growing interest in privatized space flight. Several aerospace companies such as SpaceX and competitors Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have shown interest in capitalizing on this demand by developing spacecraft capable of sending private passengers, as well as professional astronauts like Peggy Whitson who represent private companies like Axiom Space, into space.

Technology

Tesla Opens Data Storage Center in China

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Amid growing tensions with China, Tesla is opening a data center in the country that will store data generated by Tesla vehicles used in the country. China has especially expressed concern about security issues regarding the vehicles’ onboard cameras.

Privacy has been frequently cited as a concern with Tesla’s onboard interior and exterior cameras, which could capture footage of private activities by passengers while they are in the vehicle. These cameras have certainly captured valuable video evidence of vandalism of Tesla vehicles, including one case in which the footage proved instrumental in capturing a man who allegedly attempted to steal the tires on a Tesla vehicle of a Springfield, Missouri, churchgoer as part of a string of crimes targeting members of a mostly African-American Presbyterian church.

Tesla says that the data will be stored securely as parts of its efforts to assure Chinese officials who have expressed concern about Tesla’s data collection policies and the vehicles’ onboard cameras. The Chinese government has banned employees from parking their Tesla vehicles at government-owned facilities due to concern that the cameras could capture footage of sensitive activities, for instance. Tesla claims that the vehicle cameras are not active in China and would not be activated unless a customer chooses to buy access to the Autopilot or Full Self-Driving software.

Security does appear to be an ongoing concern for Tesla. Just last March, a “hacktivist” group named APT-69420 Arson Cats were able to access security cameras used by a handful of companies that included Tesla and administrated by the camera’s manufacturer, Verkada. The Arson Cats say that their goal was to draw attention to how prevalent surveillance is even in places where there might be a reasonable expectation of privacy and how weak the security used by security camera companies like Verkada is.

Sensitive data has also been leaked by disgruntled employees like Martin Tripp, who distributed documents that he said would prove that Tesla’s Nevada factory made use of unsafe employment practices to the media. Tesla says that the documents were misrepresented by Tripp and may have been misrepresented by the media. It has also alleged in court documents that Tripp’s legal defense was being funded by short sellers of Tesla stock. Tesla won a court case claiming that he violated Nevada’s cybersecurity laws by doing so and Tripp lost a countersuit saying that the company defamed him.

So it may be difficult to completely guarantee that the data captured by Tesla vehicles, which could include video footage and driving data that the company uses to refine its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software, will remain secure. Security risks could include hackers, disgruntled employees, and even attempts by foreign nationals to bribe employees to inject malware into the system.

Tesla’s decision to open a data center in China may not be spurred by its own security concerns, though. Sales of Tesla vehicles have dropped in China, with only 25,845 vehicles sold in April. This is a 27.1% drop from March sales. Perhaps this is nothing surprising, considering that the Chinese government is a large employer of its own people and it often owns a stake in China-based companies or otherwise has ways to pressure Chinese companies into assisting with its own interests. Even so, China is regarded as an important enough market for Tesla that it reportedly considered purchasing some more land near Gigafactory Shanghai for expansions before reversing course on that idea.

Technology

Elon Musk Meets With North American Bitcoin Miners Regarding Energy Usage

Written By: Heidi
Heidi
Elon Musk hamming it up on SNL

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reportedly met with leading Bitcoin miners based in North America regarding energy usage. According to sources familiar with the matter, the parties at the meeting have agreed to form a new organization called the Bitcoin Mining Council and publish transparency reports on current and planned renewable energy usage.

Attendees at the meeting also included executives from Argo Blockchain, Blockcap, Core Scientific, Galaxy Digital, Hive Blockchain, Hut 8 Mining, Marathon Digital Mining, and Riot Blockchain.

Tesla has previously suspended the option to purchase an electric vehicle with Bitcoin, officially due to concerns about the energy used to mine Bitcoin, although some data suggests that no one has actually purchased a Tesla vehicle using Bitcoin. This led to the expected flurry of suggestions of alternative cryptocurrencies, or “altcoins,” that make use of algorithms that are different from Bitcoin’s “Proof of Work” algorithm and may be more environmentally friendly enough for Tesla. Bitcoin miners are responsible for processing Bitcoin transactions in batches called blocks and the data is stored on a cryptographically secured ledger referred to as blockchain.

Khan Academy’s explanation of Bitcoin’s “Proof of Work” algorithm

Elon Musk has indicated that he would be willing to consider more environmentally friendly cryptocurrencies that can process transactions faster and with lower transaction fees than Bitcoin. Many early Bitcoin adopters have moved over to alternatives like Bitcoin Cash and DASH due to Bitcoin’s failure to effectively scale to meet demand for a usable digital currency.

The most recent available data indicates that current Bitcoin mining activities use 143 terawatt-hours as of the middle of May this year. This is more than the energy usage of some countries, including Argentina. Many Bitcoin miners seek out inexpensive sources of energy such as hydroelectric power to maximize their profits, even though this is not always available. Bitcoin mining activity in Norway, which is well-known for its investment in renewable energy, has put a strain on its energy resources, for instance.

The entire matter has been seen as the latest round of Elon Musk’s complicated relationship with cryptocurrencies. Both Bitcoin and Dogecoin hit all-time highs since Tesla began accepting it, but have since plummeted at around the time of Musk’s guest-hosting appearance on SNL. Some cryptocurrency insiders say that Musk was not to blame for the price drop, however.

Some cryptocurrency investors blame a sell-off led by large cryptocurrency holders, or “whales,” like Barry Silbert, who might seek to manipulate the price for their own gain. China has also announced plans to crack down on cryptocurrency mining and trading activities within its borders.

Elon Musk does not appear to have completely given up on cryptocurrency, however. Recently, SpaceX announced that it had accepted Dogecoin as payment for a satellite called “DOGE-1”, which will orbit the Moon and Elon Musk has also indicated that he plans to “HODL,” or refuse to sell, Dogecoin. In the overall tug-of-war between government-backed, or “fiat,” currency and cryptocurrency, Musk had this to say:

Technology

Tesla Spotted Testing Lidar System With Model Y

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla has been spotted using one of Luminar’s lidar systems on one of its Model Y vehicles. Elon Musk had previously expressed disdain for the lidar system and its ability to create a 3D map of its surroundings. However, it has now inked a deal to integrate the lidar system into its efforts to develop a fully autonomous self-driving vehicle.

So far, Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software has relied on a series of cameras mounted on the interior and exterior of the vehicle. However, Tesla may be interested in exploring other options in the wake of safety concerns following events like a fatal crash in Texas in which authorities initially said that the Autopilot might have been engaged. This later turned out to be false, though this has not stopped some members of the United States’ Congress from pressuring regulators to take “corrective actions” against Tesla. A Californian man was also caught riding in the back seat of a driverless Tesla that had its driver assist program activated.

Available images of the lidar-equipped Model Y were captured in Palm Beach, Florida. It resembles a top-mounted rack of the sort commonly used to carry camping gear or kayaks. The Model Y has a manufacturer’s plate registered in California that is similar to the ones that had been spotted on test models of the Cybertruck.

Based on Musk’s past comments on the lidar, though, it’s unlikely that Tesla will change its stance on the lidar based on data from a single vehicle.

“In my view, it’s a crutch that will drive companies to a local maximum that they will find very hard to get out of,” he said in a 2018 earnings call.

Due to this stance, Tesla has focused on what it calls “passive optical recognition” that rely on cameras that are less expensive than the lidar system. With the right setup, it’s possible to use a multiple-camera system to produce “three-dimensional vision” in the same way that the brain can combine images from both eyes to produce depth perception. With improving pixel resolution and inexpensive cameras, this type of system is seen as potentially more cost-effective than lidar systems. That, and existing cameras mounted on a Tesla vehicle won’t get in the way of camping or kayaking enthusiasts who want a convenient way to haul their gear.

More recently, Elon Musk admitted that SpaceX had developed its own laser system to assist with operations related to the Dragon spacecraft. He indicated that he would like to move away from radar, saying that “We believe that a vision-only system is ultimately all that is needed for full autonomy.”

Part of his willingness to at least try the lidar system might be sparked by recent tensions with China, which banned Teslas from parking at state-owned or -leased facilities due to concerns that its cameras could capture footage of sensitive activities. Tesla denies that the cameras are active in China or that they would be activated if the customer hasn’t opted in for Autopilot or Full Self-Driving.

Some pundits have expressed concern that the internal, and sometimes external, cameras could violate privacy for passengers in a Tesla. On the flip side, the cameras could prove valuable for capturing video evidence of vandals that damage a Tesla vehicle. The cameras have recently been instrumental for capturing a suspect in a series of hate crimes that included slashing or stealing the tires of vehicles owned by members of a primarily African-American church in Missouri, for instance. The suspect is also facing arson charges in relation to a series of suspicious fires, the last of which gutted the church.

Luminar recently split from a SPAC using a legal maneuver known as a reverse merger, which allowed it to go public on its own. Its stock price jumped at the news that one of its systems was spotted on a Tesla Model Y, which indicates that Tesla might be starting to thaw toward the idea of using lidar or a similar system.

Technology

Norway Issues $16,000 per Vehicle Penalty in Battery Throttling Case Against Tesla

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Norway has issued a penalty of $16,000 per vehicle in a case against Tesla that accuses the company of “throttling” both battery capacity and charging time in a 2019 software update. Tesla says that the update was meant to increase the battery life in Model S and Model X vehicles with 85 kWh batteries. The software update decreased vehicle range by between 12 and 30 miles per charge and increased charging time.

The matter sparked a series of lawsuits against Tesla and 30 of them were combined into Norway’s equivalent of a class action lawsuit. The $16,000 per vehicle owner penalty will be distributed among Tesla vehicle owners who choose to claim it, which could result in millions of U.S. dollars being paid out by Tesla. There are more than 10,000 Tesla vehicle owners in Norway.

Charging time is a major factor in what industry insiders call “range anxiety,” in which electric vehicle owners worry that their vehicles may not have enough range to reach their destination and they could be stranded. Efforts to solve this problem include public and private investments in infrastructure designed to support electric vehicles, such as more charging stations. This is likely to be a challenge in some cases, considering that experts say that the UK alone will need up to 2.3 million chargers to have enough infrastructure to meet its requirement that all new vehicles sold in the UK will have to be fully electric by 2030.

The Oxford City Council has recently partnered with privately owned businesses to develop the Oxford Superhub, which will include a few Tesla Superchargers. The European company Fastned is currently working on developing a network of 1,000 solar powered charging stations throughout Europe, starting with one in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Other companies such as the Israeli company SlashDot are working on improvements to electric car batteries that could speed up charging times. SlashDot already has a prototype for a battery that could add up to 100 miles of charge in five minutes, which is comparable to how long it usually takes to fill up an average vehicle’s gas tank. It was talking to manufacturers such as China’s Eve Energy to produce the batteries for market. SlashDot CEO Doron Myersdorf said the company was primarily interested in solving the range anxiety problem.

“You’re either afraid that you’re going to get stuck on the highway or you’re going to need to sit in a charging station for two hours. But if the experience of the driver is exactly like fueling [a petrol car], this whole anxiety goes away,” he said when the new battery was introduced.

Tesla’s throttling of its own batteries apparently went completely in the other direction by reducing range and increasing charging times. Although it has plans to recycle critical EV components like batteries at some facilities like Gigafactory Shanghai, the relevant software update might have been sparked by concerns about the costs involved in producing replacement batteries. It has not issued a statement in response to Norway’s ruling in the related lawsuit and there is not yet any word on whether it intends to appeal.

Technology

California Court Considers Combining Lawsuits Related to Solar Roof Pricing Into Class Action Suit

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

A California judge is considering combining several lawsuits related to hikes in Tesla’s Solar Roof pricing into a single class action suit. These lawsuits are spread across the country, including at least eight lawsuits filed in a US District Court in the Northern District of California and another in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits have pushed for a class action lawsuit in order to better coordinate efforts.

The lawsuits were sparked by a sudden increase in Solar Roof pricing after the customers had already signed contracts setting the price of their new Solar Roof installations. Tesla had given these customers only the option of signing new contracts agreeing to the new pricing or cancelling and getting their deposits back. The company also said that they could lose their place in the queue to have their roof installed if they did not pay the new price promptly. The plaintiffs called this a classic “bait and switch” tactic and complained about poor customer service from Tesla after the unexpected price hike.

The attorney for a Pennsylvania couple whose Solar Roof unexpectedly rose in price from $46,084.80 to $78,352.66 after they had signed the contract also serves as co-counsel for one of the Californian cases. “We seek nationwide relief,” he said of the matter.

Elon Musk admitted in an earnings call that Tesla had made “significant mistakes” with its Solar Roof installations that led to cost overruns and delays. He said that the final price could depend on several variables such as the roof’s ability to support the solar tiles and the complexity of each installation job. However, that was not enough to satisfy members of the Tesla Motors Club forum, who complained about the price hikes and began discussing lawsuits soon after they got the email saying that the price had gone up.

One forum member commented on the Return on Investment of a solar rooftop, especially for people who don’t live in the southernmost regions of the United States: “These cost models put me well over 30, approaching 35 years for theoretical investment recovery.”

On the flip side, one commenter on the website Electrek attempted to defend Tesla by saying that the feasibility of solar installations can be impacted by poorly thought-out rooftop design: “These cheesy McMansions all have absurd rooflines with superfluous undulations that make it hard to find space for more than 2 or three panels.”

It may be reasonable to assume, however, that most consumers who are interested in Tesla’s solar rooftops don’t have “cheesy McMansions.” While a few did indicate that they could afford the price increases, they wondered whether it would be cost-effective to actually have theirs installed.

Tesla’s changes to solar rooftop pricing also include a switch from selling Powerwalls as an optional add-on to bundling them into new sales of solar roofs. This may be part of Tesla’s plans to build a “distributed power plant” that can turn homes into mini-power generators that can reduce the risk of power failures such as the failure of Texas’ power grid last winter or California’s rolling blackouts. Elon Musk has made comments implying that he intended to eliminate “single points of failure” in power grids.

The presiding judge, Lucy H. Koh, issued a court order stating that she would consider combining two of the cases in California that had petitioned for a class-action suit. Experts such as Vanderbilt Law School Professor Brian Fitzpatrick, author of “The Conservative Case for Class Actions,” say that the court order was reasonable, considering that the two cases are similar. Otherwise, says Fitzpatrick, “multiple judges could end up reinventing wheels in similar cases.” He indicated that the process could take time because class action lawsuits require a “rigorous” process of discovery.

Technology

Tesla to Begin Delivering Model S Plaid in June, May Begin Delivering Cybertruck by End of Year

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla has announced plans to have what it calls a “delivery event” for its Model S Plaid at its Fremont, California, factory on June 3. It has also hinted that it could have the highly anticipated Cybertruck ready for delivery by the end of the year.

Tesla had paused delivery of the Model S and Model X in Q1 2021, ostensibly for a revamp of the Gigafactory that manufactures them. Despite a record-setting quarterly number of deliveries in Q1, it delivered only 2,020 Model S and Model X vehicles last quarter. It has indicated that it is now ready to get production of these two models back on track.

In a tweet announcing the delivery event, Elon Musk that the Model S Plaid can go from 0 to 60 in under two seconds. This model can be equipped with an optional steering yoke of the sort that racecar drivers normally use instead of the steering wheel used by average vehicle owners. Critics say that the steering yoke may come with a learning curve because most drivers reposition their hands while steering.

Musk indicated in the most recent earnings call that the Model S Plaid was already in production and admitted in an interview with Joe Rogan that some may find the acceleration to be “uncomfortably fast” due to the new, more powerful powertrain. Customers have said that Tesla is lucky that its loyalists are so patient, considering the frequent delays in the expected delivery of promised new models.

Tesla has also dropped hints that the Cybertruck could be released by the end of 2021, likely in an attempt to put pressure on Ford’s plans for an electric version of the F-150 pickup truck. The hints came in text messages to consumers who have already reserved a Cybertruck, thanking them for their patience. Although Tesla has not issued an official statement to the press and likely won’t because it lacks a PR department, this matches up with Elon Musk’s initial timeline for the Cybertruck when he unveiled it in late 2019.

Assembly of the Cybertruck is likely to take place at the Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, when the factory comes online. This Gigafactory will also produce the Model Y. Tesla has dropped hints that it could also produce the Semi, which might please corporations like Walmart Canada that have reserved Semis as part of their effort to make their operations more environmentally friendly. The Gigafactory in Austin is expected to employ 10,000 people.

Tesla is facing increasing competition not only from Ford’s plans for an electric pickup truck, but also Model 3 Plaid alternatives like the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-tron. Investors may lose patience if Tesla and Elon Musk cannot keep pace with competitors, which could explain Elon Musk’s plan for another dramatic event that he calls a “delivery event.” The company has not yet issued an update on progress on the Plaid version of the Model X SUV or when the Roadster will be released.

Technology

Tesla Faces Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation Against Employee for Reporting Theft

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

A former Tesla employee named Lynn Thompson has filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that he was fired after reporting instances of copper theft at the battery manufacturing plant in Reno, Nevada. He claims Elon Musk attempted to cover up blatant instances of theft.

Thompson first reported instances of pallets of copper being loaded up and hauled off-site to senior officials at Tesla, including Musk himself, and contractor ONQ Global in April 2018. In June 2018, he witnessed people loading copper wire into a truck and reported it to Tesla security, who called local law enforcement. A few days later, Tesla management informed him that he would no longer be employed at the Gigafactory in Nevada.

He filed the lawsuit in a Nevada federal court on Friday. According to the complaint, he since learned that Tesla pressured ONQ Global to discontinue his employment and ban him from the Gigafactory. The lawsuit alleges that the company was afraid of the information being leaked to the media and shareholders.

Tesla already has a pattern of concern about the leaking of information to the press. It has previously won a court case in which it accused a former employee named Martin Tripp of violating Nevada’s cybersecurity laws when he leaked sensitive documents to the press. Tripp claims that he aimed to expose alleged unsafe working conditions at the factory in Nevada, a matter that Tesla says has been vastly overstated. Tripp apparently did not help himself by getting into heated email exchanges with senior Tesla officials, including Elon Musk, which the judge made note of in his ruling.

The company also recently settled a case of corporate espionage with another former employee named Cao Guangzhi, who allegedly handed sensitive files relating to Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software over to the China-based company XMotors. Cao Guangzhi denied any wrongdoing and will pay unspecified monetary damages. XMotors says that it will not use any files that it might have obtained due to concern about intellectual property laws.

Past incidents also include a former employee who uploaded files to a personal DropBox account, although Tesla could not prove that he actually handed those files over to a third party. Cybersecurity incidents include a Russian national who recently pleaded guilty to charges related to an attempt to bribe an unnamed Tesla employee to inject malware into the company’s IT systems.

Tesla lacks a PR department and has not issued a statement on the lawsuit filed by Lynn Thompson. Thompson says that millions of dollars’ worth of copper has been stolen from the Gigafactory in Reno, Nevada. Experts indicate that as much as $1 billion in copper is stolen annually from a wide variety of sources, including homes, construction sites, commercial sites like Tesla’s Gigafactories, and infrastructure owned by electric and phone companies. Security aimed at stopping these thefts is a growing niche and the problem is bad enough that AT&T once prepared a report that police could use to identify and capture copper thieves.

Technology

UK to Install Tesla Superchargers at Major Electric Vehicle Hub

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The brand-new Oxford Superhub, dubbed “Europe’s most powerful EV charging hub,” is set to install 12 Tesla Superchargers along with 10 chargers from Fastned and 16 from Gamma Energy. Local authorities such as the Oxford City Council seek to develop the EV charging hub as part of preparations for the growing electric vehicle market in the UK. The Oxford Superhub is being developed by partners that include the Oxford City Council, Fastned, Wenea, and EDF Renewables subsidiary Pivot Power.

The UK plans to ban all sales of new diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030. By 2035, new cars and vans will be expected to have zero tailpipe emissions.

Despite this goal, lack of charging infrastructure has previously been seen as a major part of the holdup for widescale adoption of electric vehicles like Tesla’s. Automotive industry insiders have expressed concern about the number of charging stations that would have to be installed in order to have the infrastructure ready for a market that allows only electric vehicles. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 2.3 million electric chargers would be required in the UK alone in order to be prepared for a full transition by 2030.

Companies like Fastned have shown an interest in helping to fill that gap with investment in charging stations such as Fastned’s solar powered charging station in Düsseldorf, Germany, which boasts 20 Superchargers and 8 chargers for electric vehicles made by other automobile manufacturers. This station was developed in partnership with Tesla and the coffee and snack vendor Seed & Greet Bakery. Statements from Fastned indicate that it plans to develop as many as 1,000 charging stations throughout Europe.

Other companies are working on batteries that have faster charge times. One prospective part of the supply chain for EV manufacturers, an Israeli company named Slashdot, claims to have developed a viable car battery that can add up to 100 miles of range to an electric vehicle in five minutes. This could help to solve one component of what pundits call “range anxiety,” the fear of running out of charge, by making the charging of an electric vehicle no more time-consuming than filling up a gasoline-powered car.

At last year’s Battery Day event, Elon Musk announced that Tesla is investing in a faster and more efficient process for making batteries and will also introduce a $25,000 vehicle with an improved battery within the next three years. While longtime watchers of Elon Musk may expect that schedule to slip due to his history of setting unrealistic timetables, consumers who lack deep pockets are likely to hold out for the less expensive Tesla vehicle or an equivalent from a competing EV manufacturer.

Despite the willingness of the UK government to phase out electric vehicles and local governments to invest in infrastructure, some parties like the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee have expressed concern about the affordability of new electric vehicles compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts. According to information on the Tesla website, the starting price of the “long-range” versions of most Tesla vehicles range from $39,990 for a Model 3 to $89,990 for a Model S.

In response, an unnamed government official said, “Already, we’re investing £2.8 billion in helping industry and drivers make the switch and will continue our work to install thousands of chargepoints and boost the development of new technologies to meet our goals.”

This is in addition to the money that private companies like Fastned are willing to invest in new charging stations. Like stockholders for companies like Tesla, they are banking on the idea that a combination of government regulation and consumer demand will make electric vehicles mainstream.

Elon Musk Indicates Possibility of Tesla Factory in Russia in Q&A Event

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In a recent question-and-answer session with Russian students, Elon Musk said that Tesla may consider constructing a factory in Russia. The comments came during his participation at the Russian “New Knowledge” forum via a video call, during which he covered a broad range of topics, including electric cars, his plans for Mars, and even the possibility of alien life.

“I think we’re close to establishing Tesla presence in Russia and that would be great. And more broadly, also in Kazakhstan and neighboring regions. It’s important for us to support Tesla supporters like yourself,” he said.

He indicated that, eventually, Tesla could have factories all over the world. A typical Gigafactory employs more than 10,000 people once it is up and running. Gigafactories that are still in various stages of construction include Gigafactory Berlin and a Gigafactory near Austin, Texas.

Gigafactory Berlin has seen delays due to complications with gaining regulatory approval, legal challenges from German environmental groups, and the replacement of a manager after hints of mismanagement leaked to the public in the form of an unpaid water bill. The hiring of a former Mercedes-Benz manager to take over management for Gigafactory Berlin reportedly caused a flap with a large German automakers’ union. Tesla ended up delaying Gigafactory Berlin’s opening to 2022. Due to complications like these, Tesla may move cautiously when establishing new factories in countries like Russia.

On the flip side, it’s possible that any interest that Musk has in establishing a factory in Russia may be spurred on by ongoing tensions with China. Official diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China are tense right now and Tesla has apparently been pulled into the ongoing tug-of-war, starting with the Chinese government banning Tesla vehicles from parking at government facilities due to concerns that their onboard cameras could capture footage of sensitive activities. Tesla denies that the vehicles’ cameras are active in China. Even so, the company will not want to give up its presence in the important Asian market even though recent data suggests that sales of Tesla vehicles has slowed down in China recently.

Elon Musk did indicate optimism for the advance of technology over the next half century: “Safe to say that 50 years from now will not be what we think it will be. There are fundamental size makeshifts in technology, artificial intelligence, space travel, neurocomputer interfaces, synthetic RNA and DNA. Those are the big ones.”

Ambitious as always, Elon Musk talks about eventually colonizing the galaxy (with, of course, Mars as a first step) in this video.

During the Q&A, Musk did reiterate his intention to build a self-sustaining settlement on Mars, indicating that this settlement and a viable base on the Moon will be vital for reaching the rest of the Solar System. He may have reason to be more optimistic now that SpaceX has successfully nailed a high-altitude test of the SN15 Starship prototype and is planning an orbital test for Starship. He had previously expressed annoyance with regulators like the FAA in the aftermath of the loss of four Starship prototypes in a row in high-altitude tests, although SpaceX’s engineers got enough data to make improvements for SN15.

The Starship rocket and spacecraft will be critical for Musk’s plans for Mars and derivatives will include a Starship-based lunar lander, though work on that is being held up by a challenge from Blue Origin and Dynetics with the Government Accountability Office playing referee.

Musk also indicated that it may be possible for humans to not only become an interplanetary species, but also travel to other star systems. Astronomers now discover new exoplanets on a regular basis, including a few that may be suitable for “life as we know it.” He said that reaching those systems in a reasonable amount of time would require the development of antimatter engines that can reach 10% to 20% of the speed of light. He expressed the opinion that going to other star systems should be done “while the window is still open.”

When someone asked if he believed in God, Musk seemed to imply that he is agnostic, but may have some spiritual leanings: “I’m not religious in a traditional sense, because you know I was raised in a scientific school of thought. But at the same time I do wonder — where does all of this come from? What’s the meaning of life? How did we get to be here? What are even the right questions to ask? I would say that … philosophy is to expand the scope and scale of our mind so that we are able to ask the right questions about the universe.”

At the end of the Q&A, Elon Musk told students to “stay positive for the future and fight [for] a good future with high energy.”

Space

NASA Confirms Contract Award to SpaceX for Orbital Refueling Test

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

NASA has confirmed a contract award to SpaceX for a demo of orbital refueling. The flight demonstration will include transferring 10 metric tons of liquid oxygen between tanks on a Starship vehicle.

The ability to refuel in space has been presented as an important component for journeys to other worlds such as Mars. The original plan for NASA’s “Journey to Mars” included using the Lunar Gateway to refuel spacecraft headed for Mars, although supporters of crewed missions to Mars such as the Mars Society’s Robert Zubrin criticized it as an unnecessary and expensive step. Plans for the Lunar Gateway has since been modified for greater focus on logistical support for crewed lunar exploration.

Refueling in space is likely to become more practical if it can be done using resources that were generated using In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The Perseverance Rover has recently demonstrated the capacity to generate oxygen on Mars, which besides being important for creating breathing air for future Martian crews or settlers, can also be used to create rocket fuel. This can bring mission complexity and costs down because, if refueling in space is required, organizations like NASA can save money by not having to launch it from Earth.

Elon Musk’s own ambitions for Mars include establishing a viable settlement on the red planet. His plans include sending as many as a million settlers on the Starship rocket. He calls the plan an important step in making humans an interplanetary species and helping humanity survive in case of a disaster that causes a mass extinction. Musk has acknowledged that settling Mars will be a high-risk venture in recent comments, although he has mentioned that he wouldn’t mind dying on Mars (just not on impact).

“This is really about eliminating existential risk for civilization as a whole. … Being confined to Earth until some eventual extinction event is depressing. We need things that make you want to get out of bed in the morning,” he told the audience at last August’s virtual Mars Society conference.

Robert Zubrin praised Elon Musk’s plans for Starship, even while acknowledging that any serious Martian settlement effort will likely require collaboration across multiple aerospace companies and experts: “SpaceX is taking on the biggest single challenge, which is the transportation system. There’s all sorts of other systems that are going to be needed.”

Although SpaceX’s Starship rocket is not yet operational, it has recently succeeded in landing the SN15 prototype in one piece during a high-altitude test flight after losing the four previous prototypes in explosions during or shortly after landing. SpaceX is currently planning a one-orbit test of Starship that will launch from its test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and come down off the Hawaiian coast.

SpaceX’s refueling test is part of NASA’s Tipping Point Technologies program, which funds research and development for technologies that will be required for sustainable space exploration missions. The selection of SpaceX’s refueling demonstration proposal is part of a series of contracts worth more than $370 million, spread over 15 companies. The contract between SpaceX and NASA is worth $53.2 million.

Technology

Firefly Aerospace Selects SpaceX to Launch Lunar Lander in 2023

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Firefly Aerospace has selected SpaceX to launch its Blue Ghost lunar lander on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2023. Blue Ghost will carry 10 payloads for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

The lunar lander will be capable of delivering more than 150 kilograms of payload to the lunar surface as part of CLPS’ 19D set of tasks. It will land in Mare Crisium in the Moon’s Crisium basin (seen in below video). Firefly plans to operate instruments on Blue Ghost during lunar transit, while still in lunar orbit, and for as many as 14 days on the lunar surface.

Firefly Aerospace bills itself as one of the leading providers of economical and dependable launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services. It is currently developing a series of launch and in-flight vehicles that are designed to be cost-effective. It appears to be planning for the Space Utility Vehicle and Blue Ghost Lunar Lander to be among its “trademark” vehicles. The company is based in Cedar Park, Texas.

Firefly CEO Tom Markusic said, “Firefly is excited to leverage the performance and reliability of Falcon 9 to propel Blue Ghost on the first phase of its journey to the Moon.”

The Blue Ghost lunar lander that is slated to land in Mare Crisium is part of the runup to the Artemis Program, which will land crews on the Moon. It contains a scientific package that will assist with preparations for crewed operations on the lunar surface.

Shea Ferring, Firefly Senior Vice President of Spacecraft, said, “Firefly is excited to fly our Blue Ghost spacecraft on the highly reliable Falcon 9, which will deliver NASA instruments and technology demonstration payloads that support NASA science goals and NASA’s Artemis program. The high performance of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle permits a lunar transit using minimal Blue Ghost propulsion resources, thereby allowing the lander to deliver more than 150 kg of payload to the lunar surface.”

SpaceX is already heavily involved as a contractor or subcontractor providing launch services for NASA’s commercial space programs, including CLPS and the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which aimed to develop spacecraft capable of delivering payloads to the International Space Station.

The Cargo Dragon was a result of COTS-related development and continues to deliver supplies to the International Space Station under contract with NASA. It has also successfully conducted the crewed missions Demo-2 and Crew-1, which successfully delivered astronauts to the International Space Station and returned them in a classic “splashdown” in the Gulf of Mexico. The Crew-2 Crew Dragon is still docked to the International Space Station.

It also recently received contracts to launch a lunar lander for the aerospace company Astrobotic, which will carry NASA’s VIPER rover to the Moon, and Nova-C lunar landers for Intuitive Machines. It will also launch the first components of the Lunar Gateway. SpaceX has been awarded a contract to develop the lunar lander for the Artemis Program, but that is currently on hold due to challenges from competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics.

Technology

Converge Says Deal With SpaceX for Starlink Access May Be Pushed Back to 2022

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Telecommunication and cable television service provider Converge ICT Services says that finalizing its planned deal with SpaceX for access to Starlink could be pushed back to 2022. Converge is a major telecommunications provider in the Philippines.

Converge Chief Executive Officer Dennis Anthony Uy made the announcement in a virtual briefing. He says that the deal may be delayed because SpaceX has been prioritizing Starlink access for other areas, such as the United States, Canada, and the UK. In some of these areas, SpaceX has been pursuing relationships with the federal government to assist with broadband Internet infrastructure development.

Technical studies for a potential partnership are already being conducted, even though Converge officials say that a finalized deal could be as much as a year and a half away. Such a deal is likely to include improved Internet access for remote access in the Philippines.

“To be able to complement the whole segment of the market is very important. Those who are not reachable by our network, this is the way. We need to partner with new technology,” said Uy.

Satellite Internet services have been promoted as a way to reach areas in which reliable Internet access has been lacking. The United States and UK are currently pursuing programs that could improve the infrastructure for Internet access in rural or low-income areas, both of which SpaceX has bid on. SpaceX has also indicated a willingness to work with local government entities like a school district in Texas to provide access for low-income families and may launch lower-cost plans for low-income customers once Starlink comes out of beta.

The satellite Internet access market is quite competitive and often cutthroat, with SpaceX having to fend off obstacles such as ViaSat’s regulatory challenge of its Starlink constellation on environmental grounds. This has caused some grumbling from SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk.

On the flip side, Uy says that the tens of thousands of Starlink satellites that SpaceX plans to orbit could be beneficial to providing better access to places like the hard-to-reach regions in the Philippines.

“I don’t think that will happen this year, because you need the preparation of the earth station. In fact, you need to have a fiber-connected with an earth station to be able to have a right penetration and uplink and downlink to the satellite,” he said.

SpaceX plans for its Starlink constellation to provide high-speed, low-latency satellite Internet service. To that end, it has recently received approval from the FCC to send some Starlink satellites into a lower orbit despite complaints from competitors that it might interfere with their own ability to send satellites into orbit. Starlink satellites have the capacity to maneuver to avoid collisions.

While Converge has indicated that there will be a delay in finalizing its deal with SpaceX, it has allocated most of its planned 20 billion Philippine pesos in expenditures this year toward developing its backbone and deployment of additional fiber-to-the-home ports. This will put it in a better position to finalize its deal with SpaceX for improved access to the Internet for the Philippines.

Space

SpaceX Plans First Orbital Flight for Starship

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In the wake of the first fully successful high-altitude test flight of a Starship prototype, SpaceX has filed plans for an orbital test with the Federal Communications Commission. The orbital test flight will launch from its test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and splash down somewhere near Hawaii.

Since SpaceX began high-altitude testing for Starship, it has lost four prototypes in explosions during or shortly after landing. The last one, SN11, appeared to go through an unplanned “mini-launch” minutes after what had initially looked like a successful landing, and then exploded. The SN11 incident was blamed on residual fuel escaping through a flaw in the engine system. The explosions resulted in some unwelcome attention from the FAA, which investigated potential safety violations related to the incidents.

Since then, SpaceX has made upgrades to the SN15 prototype based on data from the previous flights. It successfully conducted a flight test and returned the prototype intact on May 5.

The orbital test flight will launch the Starship vehicle on a Super Heavy booster, which will separate and come down about 20 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The test Starship spacecraft will continue into orbit, and then come down about 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the coast of Kauai. The entire test is expected to last 90 minutes.

SpaceX plans to coordinate with the FCC, NASA, FAA, and the U.S. Space Force for the test. Although an exact date for the test has not yet been announced and is likely pending regulatory approval, Elon Musk has said that he would like to conduct it by July.

In internal company communications dating as far back as June 2020, Elon Musk has indicated to SpaceX employees that Starship development is a priority that should be accelerated “dramatically and immediately.” He indicated in a company-wide email at the time that the Starship should take second place only to improving safety for the Crew Dragon, which was preparing for the Demo-2 mission at the time.

Musk intends Starship to serve as the interplanetary transportation system for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA selected a derivative officially referred to as the Human Landing System for the Artemis Program, though this is currently being challenged by competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-MI) has since proposed boosting NASA’s budget enough to allow it to continue with two proposals, which NASA had originally planned on doing.  

Musk’s plans for Mars include establishing a settlement using the Starship rocket to transport cargo and people. The plan calls for sending as many as 1,000 Starships with passengers to the red planet. Although Elon Musk has acknowledged that such a venture would be highly risky, he is also known for saying, “I would like to die on Mars, just not on impact.”

He has also proposed using Starship to clean up some “space junk” and for point-to-point transportation on Earth. Any marketing professionals that SpaceX hires in the future are likely to have some fun with the latter: “Anywhere to anywhere in 90 minutes or less!” Starship simply needs to get past the testing and development phase with, preferably, fewer explosions.

Space

Senators Weigh In on Fight Between Blue Origin, SpaceX With Amendment

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Since NASA selected SpaceX to work on the Human Landing System for the Artemis Program, Blue Origin forced the space agency to put the whole thing on hold by filing a complaint with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Dynetics has filed its own, separate complaint. NASA claims that it had to down-select to only one company’s proposal instead of two as originally planned due to budget issues, as its budget is very dependent on Congress.

Now Senator Maria Cantwell (D-MI), who represents the state that Blue Origin is based in, has weighed in on the matter with a proposed amendment to a bill meant to spur greater investment in scientific and technological advances. The amendment would allow for $10.03 billion in additional funding for NASA, which may be just enough for the space agency to continue with two proposals as originally planned.

SpaceX’s Starship-derived Human Landing System proposal came with a price tag of $2.89 billion, which was reportedly the lowest bid out of the three competing proposals. It was less than half the cost of either Blue Origin’s or Dynetics’ proposals. The cost saving to taxpayers may have been a major factor in the decision to choose SpaceX.

“We looked at what’s the best value to the government,” said Kathy Lueders, who had been leading the human exploration program for NASA.

The amendment would also mandate that NASA continue development of the “exploration upper stage” of the Space Launch System (SLS) and have it ready to go by the third launch of the SLS. The SLS has been heavily criticized for delays and cost overruns, although contractors have been delivering components for the system recently. NASA says that it won’t need the exploration upper stage for its early Artemis flights and it plans to use a commercially available upper stage to launch the first crews slated to go to the Moon.

Critics of the SLS say that it will be less expensive in the long run to scrap it altogether and move forward with options like the reusable rockets offered by SpaceX. Despite having four explosions in a row, SpaceX has recently managed to land a prototype for the interplanetary rocket known as Starship and keep it intact. The development work for Starship appears to be funded in-house, which may represent an additional cost savings for space agencies that opt to use it for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.

SpaceX is also the first private company to fly astronauts to the International Space Station under a Commercial Crew contract, with the most recent success in that department being the splashdown of Crew-1 in the Gulf of Mexico. It also has a contract to launch components of the Lunar Gateway, which will be used to provide logistical support for crews traveling to the Moon.

Although Blue Origin also has a Commercial Crew contract, it has not yet flown actual crews. It plans to make its first crewed flight in July and has opened up the option to bid on a seat for this flight. This will be a brief suborbital flight that will spend four minutes above the Karman line, which is the official boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space. Blue Origin plans to use the New Shepard spacecraft on this flight. This spacecraft was named in honor of astronaut Alan Shepard, who made a similar suborbital flight for NASA’s Mercury program and was (perhaps also appropriately in this case) the second man in space, after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Like Blue Origin must be, Alan Shepard was reportedly frustrated by taking second place to a rival.

The bill currently working its way through Congress, known as the Endless Frontier Act, is seen as an authorizing bill instead of an appropriations bill, which means that Congress may still choose not to fund anything listed in the bill or its amendments. Its supporters in Congress say that the Endless Frontier Act is meant to keep America competitive against China amid ongoing diplomatic tensions.

“This bill … in the main is supposed to be about competing, out-competing, out-innovating, outgrowing communist China,” said the bill’s co-sponsor, Todd Young (R-IN) in an apparent criticism of Cantwell’s proposed amendment.

If Senator Cantwell is serious about NASA moving forward with both SpaceX and Blue Origin, she will have to separately push for an appropriations package that includes sufficient funding for NASA. The text of the proposed amendment can be seen here.

Technology

SpaceX Signs Deal With Google Cloud for Satellite Internet Access

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Google has announced a deal with SpaceX to install Starlink terminals at Google Cloud’s data centers. It said that it would like to bring cloud services to Starlink customers and use the satellite Internet service to improve speed for enterprise customers even if they have an established presence in areas that have previously been neglected by Internet service providers. SpaceX plans to install the first terminal at a data center in Albany, Ohio.

“Combining Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband with Google’s infrastructure and capabilities provides global organizations with the secure and fast connection that modern organizations expect,” SpaceX President Glynn Shotwell said in a press release.

The combination of Starlink and Google Cloud should be available by the end of 2021. A statement from Google indicated that they plan to use Starlink’s promise of better Internet service in previously neglected areas to deliver more secure data delivery to remote regions.

Google had previously invested $900 million in SpaceX, banking on its ability to develop its satellite Internet constellation. SpaceX currently has 1,550 Starlink satellites in orbit. The final constellation could have as many as 42,000 satellites and the company launches more every couple of weeks despite complaints from competitors that Starlink satellites could collide with their satellites.

The risk of collisions between objects in orbit has long been recognized as an issue among space industry insiders. Starlink satellites are capable of maneuvering to avoid collisions, but there is still the risk of defunct satellites and spent rocket stages colliding with still-operational hardware and valuable assets like the International Space Station.

Serious proposals to deal with the problem include D-Sat’s plan to attach a small “retro-rocket” pack to satellites that can be used to deorbit the satellite when its useful life is over. Elon Musk has said that Starship could be used to corral defunct satellites once it becomes fully operational. NASA and SpaceX have also signed a deal to share information on orbiting assets owned by either party.

A report from OneWeb that a Starlink satellite nearly collided with one of its own during OneWeb’s launch was disputed by SpaceX and the latest updates indicate that OneWeb may have exaggerated. Longtime Elon Musk rival Jeff Bezos’ Project Kuiper also recently launched satellites on a ULA rocket in lieu of Blue Origin’s rockets, which are still a work in progress. Amazon Web Services, a rival for Google Cloud, plans to use Project Kuiper to enhance its own cloud computing services.

SpaceX currently has 10,000 testers for the “Better than Nothing Beta” phase, many of whom live in the northern United States and southern Canada and say that the terminals work well even in harsh winter conditions. Elon Musk recently said that 500,000 customers have at least made a deposit for access when the Internet service is ready to come out of beta.

Starlink’s enterprise partners also include Microsoft Azure, which tapped SpaceX, SES, and KSAT to provide satellite access for the Azure Modular Datacenter last October. The Azure Modular Datacenter is designed to provide mobility and easy access to both communications and data even in a natural disaster that impacts the performance of local infrastructure. Starlink had previously demonstrated its ability to provide connectivity in a disaster by assisting Washington State’s Emergency Department with combatting last year’s wildfires.

Technology

Tesla Suspends Bitcoin Payments, Will Explore Environmentally Friendly Alternatives

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Elon Musk has announced that Tesla is suspending the option to pay for its electric vehicles in Bitcoin due to concerns about its energy usage. According to a statement, the company is looking into more environmentally friendly alternative cryptocurrencies, often called “altcoins.”

Tesla had added the option to use Bitcoin to buy its electric vehicles in late March. Since then, cryptocurrency insiders have urged the company to consider accepting other cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin, which Elon Musk has often plugged both on Twitter and during his recent guest hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live. Selling points for other cryptocurrencies often include lower transaction fees, faster transaction times, and lower energy usage involved in processing blocks of transactions, usually called “mining.”

Elon Musk has indicated that the company would be willing to consider cryptocurrencies that use less than one percent the energy that Bitcoin does. This might require a deep dive into comparisons of the energy usage of top “mineable” cryptocurrencies. According to one comparison study published in September 2020, DASH, ZCash, Ethereum Classic, Bitcoin Gold, Decred, MonaCoin, Bytom, SiaCoin, DigiByte, Horizen, Komodo, and Bytecoin may be suitable if one judges by the rated power commanded by their networks among the top 20 coins that use “Proof of Work” algorithms. Peercoin also didn’t miss a chance to plug its own use of the more environmentally friendly “Proof of Stake” algorithm:

Mining of Bitcoin itself consumes 150 megawatt-hours a year, according to a recent analysis published by the University of Cambridge. According to Cambridge, it currently accounts for 0.59% of the world’s energy demand. This may back up some Bitcoin critics’ claim that Bitcoin itself is inefficient and unsuitable for becoming essentially the world’s preferred currency.

Critics have also blasted the failure of Bitcoin (BTC) to scale adequately. This has often been blamed on long-standing statements by Blockstream and its allies that scaling can be moved off the “blockchain layer” and onto other layers such as the Lightning Network. However, the critics say that the Lightning Network is too buggy to be usable and may lose users’ funds.

Many longtime cryptocurrency backers have already jumped to alternatives that they say are more suitable for using as cash and closer to Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision of a secure form of digital cash that anyone can use. Roger Ver, for instance, has jumped to Bitcoin Cash (BCH), a fork of Bitcoin that its backers say is working on increasing the block size. Others have moved over to DASH for its low transaction fees.

Tesla’s current concern about Bitcoin is that 85% of the world still relies on coal for power. Using coal to produce electricity is at the top of the list for having the worst carbon emissions of any fuel. While this has also been a common criticism of Tesla’s electric cars, the company has pushed for its Superchargers to be powered with renewable sources like solar power.

Some Bitcoin miners say that they are working on the energy problem and this is backed up by many major Bitcoin miners seeking out inexpensive hydroelectric power. Norway is popular for its production of inexpensive “green” energy, although recent reports say that this has put a strain on its ability to keep up with demand.

Elon Musk has said that Tesla would consider using Bitcoin for transactions once most cryptocurrency mining activities move over to renewable sources. Some cryptocurrency supporters are likely to push for Tesla to accept multiple cryptocurrencies, or at least consider their favorites as they push for their holdings to go “to the moon” like the first Dogecoin-funded satellite mission, DOGE-1, is slated to.

Technology

Tesla Pauses Plans to Buy Land Near Gigafactory Shanghai

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla has put a pause on previously rumored plans to acquire 100 acres of land near Gigafactory Shanghai. Increased tensions between the U.S. and China were cited as the official reason.

China may have also created tensions with Tesla starting with the Chinese government banning Tesla vehicles from parking on government installations due to concerns that the onboard cameras could be used to capture footage of sensitive activities. Tesla denies that the cameras in question are activated.

CEO Elon Musk has attempted to smooth things over with limited success. Despite the tensions, Tesla says that it plans to complete its original construction plans for Gigafactory Shanghai. Even so, sales of its electric vehicles in China are dropping. Chinese customers ordered 25,845 locally manufactured vehicles in April, down from 35,478 units sold in March. The reduced sales in China may have been a factor in the recent dip in Tesla’s stock price.

Former president Donald Trump placed a 25% tariff on electric cars imported from China, a tax that has not yet been removed by the Biden Administration. Due to the tariff, most exports from the Shanghai factory were destined for the European market. Tesla is likely to restrict production in China for export until current diplomatic tensions can be resolved, though this may not hurt its ability to produce vehicles for the U.S. market very much.

It has operational Gigafactories in the Fremont and Reno areas and is currently constructing one near Austin, Texas, that will employ 10,000 people when it is ready to begin production. Tesla also has plans to build a fourth factory in a to-be-determined location in the United States.

China’s human rights abuses play a central role in the current tensions between the U.S. and China. There has especially been an upswing in awareness of China’s treatment of the Uighur Muslims in its territory, including forced labor and the alleged sterilization of Uighur women. Other issues include China’s tightening control over Hong Kong and alleged use of Chinese companies like Hauwei to conduct spying operations in the United States.

Tesla is currently pursuing a libel suit against a Chinese media outlet that retaliated against the United States’ allegations by accusing Tesla of using “sweatshop” conditions at Gigafactory Shanghai. Although Tesla is notorious for being anti-union and has previously fought legal battles with former legal employees, including winning a recent case in which a former employee claims that he leaked information to the press in the hope of raising awareness of unsafe working conditions at the Reno factory. The court ruled that the employee violated Nevada’s cybersecurity laws by doing so.

Elon Musk is also currently appealing a regulatory ruling ordering him to take down a 2018 tweet threatening to revoke stock options if employees voted to unionize, the company denies stooping to the use of sweatshop-like conditions.

Gigafactory Shanghai currently conducts the final assembly of the Model 3 and recently began manufacturing operations for the Model Y. It may hope that the pause on acquiring the 100 undeveloped acres near the factory site is only a temporary one, although China has recently been highly critical of the U.S.-based company.

Technology

Tesla Admits Elon Musk Overstates Capabilities of Full Self-Driving Software

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

According to information that the legal transparency site PlainSite obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, a Tesla engineer informed Californian regulators that Tesla is unlikely to have a fully self-driving vehicle ready for release this year. This contradicts claims by Elon Musk that the company’s Full Self-Driving software will be ready to come out of beta by the end of the year.

This comes hard on the heels of last month’s fatal crash in Texas in which Autopilot was allegedly activated. Tesla denies it, and the most recent information available indicates that there was a person in the driver’s seat at the time of the accident. Consumer Reports had issued a report of recent tests indicating that the software could be fooled into thinking that someone was in the driver’s seat and paying attention when there actually wasn’t.

The Society of Automotive Engineers has developed a scale of levels of autonomy at which motor vehicles can function. Level 5 would be full autonomy – the car can drive and avoid most hazards even if the operator is sound asleep in the back seat. Level 2 is the level at which a driver assistance program can perform some limited functions in a relatively safe environment, but still requires the supervision of a human driver.

“Tesla is at Level 2 currently. The ratio of driver interaction would need to be in the magnitude of 1 or 2 million miles per driver interaction to move into higher levels of automation,” said an internal memo obtained from California DMV, which is apparently based on updates from Tesla’s software development team.

The DMV added that the company and Elon Musk should avoid hyperbole and exaggerations while discussing its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software. This hyperbole may lead to dangerous stunts such as recent reports of a man sitting in the back seat of a driverless, moving Tesla vehicle, which may be not only hazardous, but also illegal. He may have since been identified, as SFGATE said that the man had a history of unsafe driving practices and may know the YouTuber named Ingineerix, who caught some brief video footage of him pulling this stunt.

Tesla regards Elon Musk’s tweets as official communications, which has caused considerable exasperation among investors and even an investor lawsuit alleging that Tesla has failed to retain an attorney who can control Musk’s occasionally ill-considered tweeting. There may be concern that Tesla’s stock could go into a tumble if Tesla fails to meet Elon Musk’s timelines.

However, Elon Musk has expressed confidence that Full Self-Driving will be capable of operating vehicles even better than humans can by the end of the year. “Still be careful, but we’re getting mature,” he said in a March 5 tweet. He has also mentioned plans to expand the beta program’s access to the public. On the flip side, he has admitted that the company will revoke access to the software’s beta if the driver fails to pay attention while using it.

Elon Musk has been known to issue overly ambitious timelines for his companies’ engineering projects, however, and Tesla’s own engineers admit that it will likely take longer for the Full Self-Driving software to reach Level 5.

Space

SpaceX to Conduct First Satellite Launch Paid for With Dogecoin

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In the wake of Elon Musk plugging Dogecoin on Saturday Night Live, Geometric Energy Corporation has announced that it has paid SpaceX to launch the “DOGE-1” mission entirely in Dogecoin. DOGE-1 will send a 40-kilogram CubeSat into lunar orbit as part of SpaceX’s ride share program.

DOGE-1 operations will include a lunar-spatial survey with sensors and cameras on the CubeSat, which also includes integrated communications and computational capabilities. Geometric Energy Corporation plugged the ability of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin to work around limitations in the banking industry in a statement released earlier today.

“This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce,” said SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero.

Cryptocurrency insiders have long recognized its ability to include those who do not have an easy time accessing “traditional” financial services, even though regulators have crimped their style lately. The prominent cryptocurrency payment processor BitPay, for instance, has been criticized for its clumsy handling of KYC requirements when people really want to pay with cryptocurrency as seamlessly as they can pay with a credit or debit card. Some supporters of cryptocurrency have recommended that online sellers switch to a payment processor that won’t hold their funds for them.

Proposed cryptocurrency-related operations in space date back to Jeff Garzik’s 2014 effort to launch satellites that could have transmitted the Bitcoin blockchain into Earth orbit. The satellites dubbed “BitSats” would have served as a backup for a potential meltdown in the Internet-based infrastructure that supports Bitcoin.

Some insiders have also suggested that Bitcoin was originally meant to be a prototype for a system that could function even in places where traditional financial infrastructure wouldn’t, including on the Moon and Mars. It may have reminded some people of Star Trek’s “Credits,” which did not seem to rely on physical currency and could transfer value with a little typed input and a thumbprint on an electronic pad. Books like “Blockchain Space: How and Why Cryptocurrencies Fit Into the Space Age” describe how advanced forms of cryptocurrencies could be adapted to be suitable for interplanetary commerce – with, of course, suitable advances in technology.

More immediately, the DOGE-1 mission seems intent on promoting the often-repeated phrase in cryptocurrency circles, “To the Moon”. Some cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin have been hitting all-time highs in price. Elon Musk has especially been plugging Dogecoin lately, including an offhand mention that he has set up a Dogecoin miner for his youngest son. Although the price of Dogecoin took a nosedive during his SNL appearance, its investors anticipate that it will recover once SNL fans dive more into the cryptocurrency that was inspired by an online meme.

Missions like DOGE-1 certainly won’t hurt matters, as it shows that some cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin are suitable for more than just an investment vehicle. This may be important to some OG Bitcoiners who have moved over to alternatives like DASH and Bitcoin Cash due to disagreements over regulations and technical aspects that may make Bitcoin unusable to its original target audience. These individuals say that cryptocurrency should be usable to anyone, regardless of whether they want to launch a satellite, buy a Tesla, or just get a pair of alpaca wool socks. Besides Elon Musk raising awareness that alternatives like Dogecoin exist on shows like SNL, Geometric Energy Corporation may hope to raise awareness that previously minor and jocular cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin can be used to literally send things to the Moon.

Elon Musk Talks Dogecoin, Reveals Asperger’s Syndrome on SNL

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Elon Musk has made his appearance as a guest host on SNL. Topics were fairly free-ranging, going from Dogecoin to rockets to a surprise revelation that he has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome during his opening monologue.

Although the condition formerly known as Asperger’s syndrome has officially been wrapped up into the more broad Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in a 2013 update, it is still frequently referred to in some circles as a more mild form of autism, also known as “high-functioning autism.” Notable people with Asperger’s syndrome include Temple Grandin, a professor at the Colorado State University who is especially noted for her advocacy for people with autism. According to Grandin, many brilliant people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs are probably on the spectrum.

“Half the people in Silicon Valley probably have autism,” she says on her official website.

Elon Musk did refer to some of the best known signs of autism in his monologue: “I’m actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL. Or at least the first to admit it. So I won’t make a lot of eye contact with the cast tonight. … Look, I know I sometimes say or post strange things, but that’s just how my brain works.”

Despite anticipation from cryptocurrency insiders, Musk didn’t mention Dogecoin by name during his opening monologue, which sent the price of the meme-inspired cryptocurrency plunging by 22% over the course of the SNL episode. He did mention Dogecoin later, however, when he said that he would be getting his mother Dogecoin for Mother’s Day. According to Forbes, Dogecoin is now 40% below its all-time high. Musk had previously mentioned Dogecoin on a regular basis in his tweets and even jocularly declared himself “CEO of Dogecoin” for a day.

Skits also included a Mario parody in which he played the villain Wario, which SNL had standing trial for murder. His girlfriend, Grimes, put in an appearance as Princess Peach. He also played a doctor in a Gen Z Hospital spoof featuring awkward conversations with friends who the characters hadn’t seen in a while due to pandemic quarantines.

Some SNL cast members had expressed their reluctance to make an appearance due to their dislike of Elon Musk, who often comes off as abrasive in his public interactions, including some heated exchanges on Twitter. His tweets have occasionally caused some legal issues for Musk, including costing him his position as Tesla’s Chairman of the Board and an ongoing investor lawsuit alleging that Tesla has failed to retain an attorney who can vet Musk’s tweets before they are posted. Tesla regards Musk’s tweets as official company communications in lieu of its lack of a Public Relations department.

Aidy Bryant followed through and made a subtle dig at Musk on Twitter by posting a screenshot of a critical Bernie Sanders tweet on Instagram. Although SNL officially said that the cast wouldn’t be forced to appear with him, their behavior was interpreted as professional in some quarters. Some even said that Elon Musk might have a surprising amount of talent at comedy himself:

Technology

Tesla to Pay Fine, Install Solar Rooftop in Settlement With Bay Area Emissions Regulators

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla will pay a $750,000 fine and install a community solar microgrid that includes one of its solar rooftops as part of a settlement with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in California. This district covers nine counties in the San Francisco Bay area and includes Fremont, which hosts one of Tesla’s vehicle manufacturing facilities.

This is the same factory that was involved in a dispute involving Tesla, Elon Musk, and Californian state and county officials over the state’s response to COVID-19 that led to Elon Musk moving out of the state and selling his California homes, including the sale of three Bel-Air properties to a local developer. California has since ruled that the Fremont factory, which employs more than 10,000 people, is an essential business that can remain open.

Despite Musk’s dispute with the state, Tesla has applied for permits to expand the Fremont factory, indicating that Tesla is going nowhere soon, at least as far as manufacturing electric vehicles is concerned. Musk had previously threatened to move Tesla’s headquarters out of the state and did move his nonprofit foundation to Texas.

He has also previously referred to Austin, Texas, as America’s next boom town and called for more housing in the area. Both Tesla and SpaceX are currently in the process of building new manufacturing facilities in the Austin area, with Tesla alone expected to add at least 10,000 new jobs in the area. If Musk is unwilling to completely abandon California despite his frequent disagreements with government officials and regulators, it may merely be “good business,” since California is friendly enough toward electric vehicles to offer tax credits and occasional rebates for the purchase and registration of new EVs within the state.

This latest settlement with regulators covers 33 environmental violations dating back to 2015 that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District says has now been fixed. Many of these violations appear to involve the paperwork that is so often required by regulators, including “installing or modifying equipment without proper permits, failure to conduct required emissions testing, failure to maintain records and failure to report information to the Air District in a timely manner.”

This seems to amount to employees failing to keep up with bureaucratic hurdles set by regulators and not much to do with Tesla’s ability to keep up with actual emissions standards – something that it does well enough with to sell $1.84 billion in carbon credits in 2020 alone despite its complaint that the suspension of some Obama-era environmental regulations hurt the carbon credit market. Elon Musk had previously said that electric vehicles like those manufactured by Tesla could make gasoline-powered vehicles obsolete.

The $750,000 fine will go directly into the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s general management fund. The community microgrid project will become part of the district’s Community Health Protection Program, which includes the goal of improving air quality and public health in areas that have been heavily impacted by air pollution. The project can also reduce utility bills in the impacted areas. The area where the microgrid will be installed has not yet been determined and neither Tesla nor the district announced a deadline by which the project should be completed.

Space

SpaceX Successfully Launches, Lands Starship Prototype SN15

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

SpaceX has finally nailed the launch and landing of a full-sized Starship prototype. It had previously lost the prototypes SN8, SN9, SN10, and SN11 in explosive events that the rocket industry officially calls rapid unscheduled disassemblies during or shortly after landing. The company’s engineers used data from the previous high-altitude tests to make what CEO Elon Musk described as “hundreds of major upgrades” to structures, avionics, software, and engine systems in the SN15, which was used for today’s test.

The SN12, SN13, and SN14 prototypes had never been fully assembled. SpaceX also has approval from the FAA to fly the already-complete SN16 and SN17 in upcoming high-altitude tests.

Along with testing the viability of the Starship rocket, SpaceX has been testing a new descent profile that has the rocket briefly descending in a horizontal position that has been referred to as a “bellyflop” maneuver. The data from previous tests indicate that flaws in the array of three Raptor engines were a major factor in the losses of SN15’s predecessors.

This most recent test of a Starship prototype took SN15 to an altitude of about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). It briefly hovered on a single engine before returning to Earth and used only two of its engines to slow down enough for a softer landing. Now that SpaceX has an intact Starship prototype that has successfully gone through a high-altitude test and returned intact, its engineers can analyze the rocket and especially its engine system for any remaining flaws and especially potential clues that could help pin down the exact cause of the previous explosions.

“The past few weeks have been full of accomplishments by the SpaceX team. An outstanding period as we work to enable the future of human spaceflight,” said SpaceX engineer John Insprucker during live coverage of the SN15 launch and landing.

Early Sunday morning, the SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying the four Crew-1 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico to successfully conclude the first operational mission of NASA’s Commercial Crew program.  This mission spent 167 days in space as part of a busy International Space Station rotation that included the first move of a privately owned spacecraft from one port to another.

Elon Musk has also indicated that demand for the Starlink satellite Internet service is strong with 500,000 customers already signed up as SpaceX sent another 60 Starlink satellites into orbit. Such demand may have inspired SpaceX president Glynn Shotwell’s comments that Starlink could help to fund Musk’s ambitions for Mars. Elon Musk is also slated to host the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live on May 8.

Once the Starship rocket becomes fully operational, SpaceX intends to use it for a variety of purposes ranging from point-to-point suborbital flights on Earth to interplanetary travel. The settlement of Mars is top on Elon Musk’s list of things to do with the Starship rocket. Musk’s characteristically ambitious current timeline for journeys to Mars include the possibility of sending the first crewed missions to the Red Planet by 2026, which many aerospace experts say is unlikely to happen despite the success of the SN15 prototype’s first high-altitude test.

Elon Musk Indicates Strong Demand for Starlink as 60 More Satellites Launch

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Earlier today, SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites, bringing the total up to 1,440 functioning Starlink satellites in orbit. Elon Musk also indicated that 500,000 customers have placed an order or made a deposit for the service.

The “Better than Nothing Beta” currently has 10,000 testers who paid the somewhat steep $499 fee for equipment and subscribed to the service for $99 per month. Current data suggest that SpaceX is currently manufacturing the terminals used to access Starlink for $1,500, which means that it is taking a loss on every equipment purchase.

SpaceX space operations engineer Siva Bharadvaj said during live coverage of today’s launch, “With every launch, we get closer to connecting more people across the world.”

Some reporters like Michael Sheetz did express doubts that the Starlink constellation as it exists now would be able to keep up with demand even though new satellites are being launched every couple of weeks and SpaceX recently received regulatory approval to launch some of them into a lower orbit. Sheetz noted that the $99 deposit was fully refundable. Elon Musk was confident that the company could comfortably deliver service to the 500,000 customers who are currently signed up, however.

Things may become more challenging when SpaceX is brought out of beta and millions of potential customers start signing up. This challenge may be the reason the company plans a final constellation of 42,000 satellites, which can provide redundancy and low latency for the high expected demand.

Internet access as a human right is a hot topic at some summits like the Web Summit, in which the above panel discuss this important issue. Supports of recognizing it say that those without Internet access lose out on critical opportunities for advancement.

The United Nations recognizes access to reliable Internet service as a fundamental human right. However, millions of people live in regions where access to the Internet is unreliable, nonexistent, or too expensive. Governments around the world often control which online resources that residents in their countries can access. This has caused them to miss out on virtual education, telehealth services, investment opportunities, and potential for remote employment that most more “connected” people take more granted.

Even in industrialized countries, rural or low-income regions may lack reliable and affordable Internet access due to lack of investment in these areas. SpaceX is currently working with the UK’s Project Gigabit and the United States’ Federal Communications Commission to bring more reliable broadband Internet to rural and low-income areas that might have previously been neglected by Internet infrastructure development plans and service providers.

The above video discusses the link between the Starlink satellite constellation, human rights, and future Martian settlement.

SpaceX president Glynn Shotwell has recently indicated that bringing reliable high-speed Internet service to the world is not an end game in itself, however. She said that SpaceX may use revenue from Starlink to fund future Martian settlement efforts spearheaded by the company. Astute Starlink customers have also noticed a clause in Starlink’s Terms and Conditions that recognizes Mars as an independent planet.

With today’s launch, SpaceX continues to add to the capacity of the Starlink satellite Internet constellation. It has previously shown a willingness to work with low-income communities and school districts to grant early access to Starlink to disadvantaged segments of the population. It also plans to issue lower-cost plans for low-income customers. Beta testers have also said that the service truly is “better than nothing” even in frigid winter weather in which some satellite Internet services might have stopped working. This stellar early performance is a likely reason that 500,000 customers have been willing to place orders or at least make the $99 refundable deposit.

Technology

Tesla Delays Gigafactory Berlin Opening to 2022

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The opening of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin has been pushed back until 2022 due to delays in regulatory approval and battery production equipment. Tesla had intended to have the factory open by the end of 2021. Now it is more likely to open in late January of next year.

Gigafactory Berlin has faced issues that included the temporary disconnection of its water supply due to an unpaid bill, which may have been a factor in its decision to replace the factory manager with a former Mercedes-Benz manager. The move reportedly annoyed a German automakers’ union, likely due to Tesla’s reputation for being anti-union.

More recently, a German court ruled in favor of environmental groups who issued a legal challenge alleging that Tesla failed to take appropriate measures to mitigate the environmental impact of Gigafactory Berlin’s construction. At issue was an endangered snake species that would need to be moved to a new area to get them out of the way. Environmental activists and Berlin area residents have also expressed concern about water usage at Tesla’s factories despite Elon Musk’s announcement of a more efficient battery making process that uses less water at last year’s Battery Day.

Tesla has complained about bureaucratic slowdowns in the regulatory approval process. The environmental challenge may be causing a large part of the holdup due to the increased scrutiny of the Gigafactory’s footprint. In communications with government officials, the company questioned the German government’s commitment to combatting climate change:

“The German approval framework for industrial and infrastructure projects as well as spatial planning directly contradicts the urgency to plan and realize such projects that is necessary to battle climate change.”

Tesla has also recently applied to add a battery manufacturing facility to the original plans, which could slow down the final approval process.

Because Tesla’s vehicles do not burn gasoline, it exceeds vehicle emissions standards to the point where it made $1.58 billion from the sale of carbon credits last year. Most recently, Volkswagen signed a deal to buy carbon credits from Gigafactory Shanghai. On the flip side, the U.S. and Germany have accused Tesla of misrepresenting the impact of some manufacturing processes such as the application of paint to its vehicles.

Once Gigafactory Berlin is finally opened, the company plans to manufacture up to 500,000 cars per year at that factory. Currently, many Tesla vehicles sold in Europe are made at Gigafactory Shanghai, which has faced its own trials such as a news outlet’s claim that the Chinese factory uses “sweatshop” practices. A libel case related to these allegations is still ongoing.

While regulatory standards are not necessarily a bad thing, Tesla may not be entirely unwarranted in being annoyed by the bureaucratic slowdown in approving Gigafactory Berlin. The construction of core factory facilities is close to completion despite the hurdles. Elon Musk has stated that he would very much like to make gasoline-burning vehicles obsolete in the same way that motor vehicles made the horse and buggy obsolete and some charging stations like a recently built station with 20 Superchargers in Düsseldorf, Germany can run completely on renewable energy, including the installation of a solar roof and wind turbines.

Tesla had originally planned to have a “grand opening” for Gigafactory Berlin on July 1 and might have actually managed it if it wasn’t for regulatory bureaucratic slowdowns that have now pushed the factory opening to late January 2022.

Space

SpaceX President Says Starlink Could Fund Trips to Mars

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In a recent interview with Via Satellite following her receipt of the online magazine’s Executive of the Year award for the second time, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell explained how the Starlink Internet satellite constellation could make it possible for Elon Musk to realize his ultimate ambitions for Mars. She said that Musk had been considering the revenue that could be generated by expanding into other areas like broadband Internet service.

“The total addressable market for launch, with a conservative outlook on commercial human passengers, is probably about $6 billion, but the addressable market for global broadband is $1 trillion,” she said.

Elon Musk has also discussed his plans for Starlink, including a potential future IPO

SpaceX has plans to launch a total of 42,000 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit and recently received approval to launch some of them into a lower orbit than had originally been planned. The FCC approved this application over the objections of competitors like OneWeb and Amazon’s “Project Kuiper.” The competing satellite Internet providers say that it could interfere with their operations. OneWeb had previously claimed that one of its satellites nearly collided with a Starlink satellite while the latter was being launched, an allegation that has since been debunked.

Selling points for satellite Internet services like Starlink include the idea that they could reach areas that have previously been neglected due to low median income or population density. Launching satellites into a lower orbit could improve latency times and speeds. SpaceX is currently working with government agencies like the FCC to bring broadband Internet to these areas. Plans for improved infrastructure for Internet access is also included in President Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion package for national infrastructure projects, although this is not yet a done deal.

If SpaceX can get 25 million Starlink customers signed up at current prices, it could generate $30 billion a year, which is about 10 times what it earns as a launch service provider. Shotwell has previously said that SpaceX has no plans to have tiered pricing based on speed, although it might consider having lower-cost plans for low-income customers.

Despite SpaceX’s willingness to ramp up investment in developing Starlink for underserved areas, including launching more satellites on Falcon 9 rockets every couple of weeks and issuing plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Texas devoted entirely to producing them, neither SpaceX nor Elon Musk have lost sight of the end goal of reaching Mars. Shotwell said of it:

“If you want to help fund long-term Mars development programs, you want to go into markets and sectors that are much bigger than the one you’re in, especially if there’s enough connective tissue between that giant market, and what you’re doing now. That’s how I recall it, but that’s a good question for Elon.”

Elon Musk discusses his plans for Mars at the 2020 Mars Society Virtual Conference

Musk has repeatedly said that he would like to start sending humans to Mars by 2026, although experts say that this may be an unrealistic goal. Four prototypes for the interplanetary rocket Starship exploded during or shortly after landing in high-altitude tests in recent months. Although engineers say they still got plenty of data from the tests and used it to make upgrades to the SN15 prototype, developmental issues like this could pose a challenge to Musk’s characteristically ambitious timeline. SpaceX plans to conduct the first flight test of SN15 as early as this week.

Once Starship becomes operational, Musk plans for an ambitious launch schedule of up to three Starships a day and send up to 100 Starships per year to Mars over the next ten years. These Starships will eventually contain future Martian settlers if all goes as planned.

Space

Crew-1 Successfully Returns to Earth in Nighttime Splashdown

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The first fully operational mission of NASA’s Commercial Crew program, Crew-1, has successfully returned to Earth in the first nighttime splashdown since Apollo 8 in 1968. They came down in the Gulf of Mexico not far from Panama City, Florida.

“All four crew members are in great shape and great spirits and doing really well,” said NASA Chief Flight Director Holly Ridings.

The previous mission, Demo-2, returned to Earth in a similar manner. Demo-2 was the final test flight for the Crew Dragon under a NASA contract and featured the first privately owned spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. Post-flight inspections of the Demo-2 Crew Dragon led to numerous improvements of the spacecraft, most notably a reinforced design for the heat shield due to an unexpected amount of “wear and tear” in some places during reentry.

This Crew Dragon is currently being reused for the Crew-2 mission, which launched early in the morning of April 23. Due to the number of spacecraft that are currently docked to the International Space Station, Crew-1 had to move its Crew Dragon to another port to make room for Crew-2 to dock to the zenith port. While both Crew Dragons were docked to the space station, it hosted a record-setting 11 astronauts and cosmonauts.

Crew-1 returned to Earth on the Crew Dragon named “Resilience” by the crew shortly before 3 am Eastern time. The crew included NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, as well as JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

“We welcome you back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX. For those of you enrolled in our frequent flyer program, you’ve earned 68 million miles on this voyage,” Mission Control radioed to Resilience shortly after splashdown.

“We’ll take those miles. Are they transferable?” spacecraft commander Mike Hopkins kidded back.

Resilience launched last November for a 167-day stay on the International Space Station. The success of SpaceX and the Commercial Crew Program has caused some annoyance for the Russians, which had a monopoly on crewed space launches since NASA retired the space shuttle in 2011. SpaceX’s contract with NASA represents a $25 million per seat cost savings over launches on the Russian Soyuz.

Although Russian space agency Roscosmos has not publicly criticized the Commercial Crew program, it did order cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko to remain in the Russian segment of the International Space Station when the Crew Dragon docked. Some Russian aerospace contractors have certainly had some things to say about Elon Musk and SpaceX.

“The Crew Dragon spacecraft designed for missions to the ISS, and Falcon 9 launch vehicle are a far cry from a spacecraft and a rocket that are needed for a mission towards the Moon,” said RSC Energia general director Vladimir Solntsev in 2017.

Of course, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy may be capable of launching some hardware such as components of the Lunar Gateway into lunar orbit, but were never meant to launch actual crews to the Moon or Mars. SpaceX is currently developing the Starship rocket and derivatives like the Starship Human Landing System for crewed missions to other worlds. It has made improvements to the SN15 prototype based on data from the last few high-altitude test flights, which engineers say they got good data out of even though they ended explosively. The FAA was satisfied enough with the improvements to approve the next three high-altitude test flights.

The Crew Dragon missions to the International Space Station make use of the Falcon 9 and Crew-2 was the first to reuse both the Crew Dragon spacecraft and a Falcon 9 first stage rocket stage booster. Crew-1 was the first of six operational missions being conducted under the Commercial Crew contract between SpaceX and NASA.

Space

NASA Orders SpaceX to Pause Work on Lunar Lander as New Details of Dispute Emerge

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In mid-April, NASA selected SpaceX to develop the Human Landing System (HLN) that will land human crews on the Moon as part of its Artemis program. Since then, competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics have filed disputes with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), claiming that NASA had made errors that may have cost them the contract. Both competing companies had submitted their own lunar lander design for consideration.

NASA has now ordered SpaceX to pause work on the Starship-derived lunar lander design until it can be resolved, which means that the first installment of the $2.89 billion price tag could also be delayed. The space agency had originally planned to cut only one company from consideration in the last down-select round, but chose to go with only SpaceX instead due to budget cuts.

Blue Origin’s proposal would have come with a price tag of $5.99 billion. Its complaint includes allegations that NASA allowed SpaceX to revise its price estimates, but did not allow Blue Origin and Dynetics the same courtesy. It also complained that NASA “moved the goalposts” at the last minute and erred in selecting only one company when it so recently planned to select two.

Dynetics made similar allegations in its dispute, saying that NASA selected “the most anti-competitive and high-risk option available.” Its complaint noted that four Starship prototypes have exploded during high-altitude tests in recent months, even though SpaceX has modified the SN15 prototype based on data from the tests. SpaceX plans to conduct the first test flight of SN15 within the next few days. According to Dynetics, however, this is not yet enough to justify the selection of a lunar landing system that appears to be derived from the Starship rocket.

“NASA failed to consider the risks inherent in SpaceX’s technical approach and, more specifically, information too close at hand for NASA to ignore. … NASA has given SpaceX a pass on its demonstrable lack of such systems engineering,” Dynetics said in its complaint.

It is interesting to note that SpaceX is currently the only aerospace company to have flown actual crews to the International Space Station under a Commercial Crew contract, which may be a not-so-subtle factor in NASA’s selection for the HLN. The Crew-2 mission recently docked to the International Space Station and Crew-1 is expected to return to Earth early Sunday morning (Eastern time). The Crew-2 mission reuses the Crew Dragon that was previously used by the Demo-2 test flight and also reused a Falcon 9 first stage booster.

NASA also selected SpaceX to launch the first components of the Lunar Gateway, which can host crews and provide logistical support during crewed missions to the lunar surface. SpaceX also has a contract to launch the Astrobotic Lunar Lander and NASA VIPER Rover, as well as lunar landers for Intuitive Machines.

While the Government Accountability Office has yet to issue a ruling, SpaceX may have had an advantage on the lunar lander competition, considering that it has a solid record for conducting launches under NASA contracts and Blue Origin has not yet sent anything into orbit. Amazon had to tap the United Launch Alliance to launch the first “Project Kuiper” Internet satellites even though Jeff Bezos is a backer of both companies. Dynetics is a relatively unknown company. So it may be no surprise that NASA decided to go with a proven performer even with its current issues with the Starship rocket.

Technology

United States, German Regulators Accuse Tesla of Violating Emissions Standards

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Tesla may not be the first company you think of when the topic of violations of regulatory vehicle emissions standards comes up. Because its vehicles don’t burn gas, it can make a lot of its money from selling carbon credits. Volkswagen recently signed a deal to buy carbon credits from Tesla China to buy time for the development of its own electric car, for instance.

However, regulatory agencies in the United States and Germany say that Tesla has been hiding information related to emissions related to its manufacturing process. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency alleges that Tesla has failed to prove that its method for applying surface coating is in compliance with emissions standards.

Tesla operates a “paint shop” in Fremont, California, that has seen more than its fair share of issues including fires and improper cleaning and maintenance. Fixing problems with paint jobs on its cars is handled in a tent. Fremont area building permits from 2020 indicate that Tesla has been working on the issues at the Fremont paint application facility.

The company has responded to the allegations with a filing on Wednesday stating that it “has responded to all information requests from the EPA and refutes the allegations.” It does not expect its current dealings with the EPA to have a “material adverse impact” on the carmaking side of its business.

Meanwhile, German regulators have fined Tesla 12 million Euros (about $14.5 million U.S. dollars) for allegedly failing to meet its obligations in regards to taking back old batteries from customers. Regulators have especially taken issue with Tesla’s alleged failure to issue public notifications related to accepting returns of old batteries.

In Germany, car manufacturers are required to accept the return of old batteries and dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner. Tesla does have plans to recycle some critical car components like batteries at its Gigafactory Shanghai facilities, but has not yet indicated whether it plans to have similar recycling facilities at Gigafactory Berlin. It may still be wrestling with the German government’s bureaucracy in relation to getting the final approval for the opening of Gigafactory Berlin in the first place. The company has previously expressed frustration with bureaucratic red tape holding up the final approval.

In a reply to the allegations related to the return of old batteries, Tesla said, “This is primarily relating to administrative requirements, but Tesla has continued to take back battery packs.” The company implied that a 12 million Euro fine is unwarranted for an issue that mostly has to do with making sure the proper paperwork is filled out, saying that it should not have a “material adverse impact” on the business.

According to a rare public statement issued by Tesla, the company is currently working on obtaining permits to add a battery production facility to Gigafactory Berlin, which may use the new, more efficient battery-making process that Elon Musk announced in the below “Battery Day” video. Its existing permits only allow for a vehicle assembly facility. Tesla expects to begin limited production of electric vehicles this year and ramp things up next year, pending approval from a regulatory bureaucracy that seems to have slowed to a crawl in this case.

Even with the environmental complaints, this may not hurt Tesla’s ability to sell carbon credits very much. It made $1.58 billion from selling carbon credits in 2020 even though it has argued that delays in implementing the Obama Administration’s environmental regulations has hurt the market. The trade in carbon credits has also been criticized for allowing some companies to dodge having to invest in “cleaner” technologies while still claiming to be carbon-neutral. The trade also allows other companies such as Tesla that make the upfront investment to exceed environmental standards to soak up the residual income from carbon credit sales. The latter could be seen as tacit encouragement from environmental regulators to exceed regulatory standards if possible, as the below video explains.

So it does make financial sense for Tesla to push back against allegations that it isn’t meeting environmental standards. Tesla stock reportedly slid a bit on this news, although it could also be continuing a slide that started with reports that the Autopilot software was responsible for the deadly crash of a Model X in Texas that has also earned attention from regulators and Consumer Reports’ publication of test results that show that the Autopilot can be fooled into thinking that someone is in the drivers’ seat when it is actually empty.

Space

FAA Approves Next Three Starship Prototype Test Flights

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the next three launches for SpaceX’s Starship prototype. Typically, the FAA has only approved one test launch at a time, but has approved these three in a batch because it was satisfied with SpaceX’s changes to the new prototypes and attention to safety measures. If all goes as planned SpaceX could launch the SN15 prototype within the next couple of days.

The FAA requires that SpaceX have an inspector on site at the Boca Chica, Texas, test facility during test launches. This has occasionally caused annoyance for the company, which had to delay a test flight in March because the inspector was late. The FAA has stated that inspectors are on their way for the upcoming test flight.

The prototypes SN8, SN9, and SN10 all exploded upon landing during their first and only test flights. SN11 initially put in what looked like a successful landing, and then appeared to go through a “mini-launch” that ended in an explosion. The loss of SN11 was likely due to remaining propellant in the tanks escaping through the engines. The changes to SN15 and its array of Raptor engines are based on data from the past test flights.

The FAA opened an investigation into possible safety issues related to these high-altitude test flights even though nobody was injured, much to the annoyance of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has tweeted that the FAA seems ill-suited for regulating space-related activities and is woefully unprepared for the rapid iterations and fast pace of innovation in the aerospace field. The primary issue is the potential of field blast overpressure that can shatter windows in residential buildings if it is strong enough. The FAA stated that the investigation is still ongoing, but it is satisfied that SpaceX has addressed any potentially lingering safety issues.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives has also called for a Congressional investigation into possible regulatory violations. A letter from House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen expressed disappointment that the FAA declined to conduct an independent review of the recent losses of full-sized prototypes.

SpaceX plans to use its Starship rockets and spacecraft for journeys to other worlds in the inner solar system such as the Moon and Mars. It has already won a contract from NASA to use its Starship-derived Human Landing System for lunar landings for the Artemis Program, although rival Blue Origin and a third competitor called Dynetics have filed objections.

SpaceX has said that Starship will be capable of providing point-to-point passenger flights on Earth, though this could be seen as a premium service with little time for even having an onboard snack and beverage service. (“Anywhere to anywhere in 90 minutes or less!”) Musk has also unveiled plans to use Starship to help address the “space junk” problem by removing old satellites and rocket stages that would be incapable of deorbiting on their own.

Talking about future operations once Starship becomes operational is easy. Landing the prototypes and keeping them in one piece is hard. With the FAA’s approval, though, SpaceX now has a chance to show that the improvements to the SN15 prototype is sufficient to keep it in one piece and avoid the overpressure problem that was the regulatory agency’s primary concern.

Is Elon Musk nervous? Well, as seen in the below video, he has admitted that he finds it hard to sleep before a SpaceX launch, let alone during tests of Starship prototypes that have previously proven so explosive.

Space

Blue Origin Appeals NASA’s Decision on Artemis Lunar Lander

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Earlier this month, NASA selected SpaceX’s proposal for a lunar lander that will land astronauts on the Moon as part of the Artemis Program. Now competitor Blue Origin is appealing that decision.

NASA had originally intended to select two of the three companies that had proposed a design for its Human Landing System (HLS). Dynetics was the third. However, budget constraints forced NASA to down-select to only one company and SpaceX’s proposal was the least expensive at only $2.89 billion.

Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith told the New York Times that NASA erred in its technical evaluations, ignoring advantages in the Blue Origin lander and downplaying SpaceX’s technical challenges. The latter may have been a reference to SpaceX’s issues with developing the Starship rocket, of which its proposed lunar lander appears to be a derivative.

“They’re generally quite good at acquisition, especially its flagship missions like returning America to the surface of the moon. We felt that these errors needed to be addressed and remedied,” Smith told the New York Times.

Prototypes of the Starship rocket have exploded enough times to attract unwelcome attention from the FAA, which caused delays in the testing schedule. Official statements from SpaceX indicate that it has made attempts to fix issues with the Raptor engines used by the prototypes for the SN15 prototype, which is expected to undergo its first high-altitude test soon.

In a typical tweet, Elon Musk was quick to fire back at Blue Origin in a reply to the New York Times piece:

SpaceX has sent thousands of satellites into orbit, including about 1,400 of its own Starlink satellites with more being launched every couple of weeks. It has also successfully sent crews to the International Space Station on its Crew Dragon, including its recent launch of Crew-2, which docked to the International Space Station just last Saturday.

The Crew-2 mission is reusing the spacecraft that had been used by Demo-2 and is expected to return to Earth’s surface in six months. Crew-1 will return as early as Wednesday. Until then, the International Space Station is hosting a record 11 astronauts representing the United States, Russia, Japan, and the European Space Agency.

Meanwhile, Blue Origin has not yet sent anything to orbit although it continues to work on its New Shepard rocket. Due to the issues with its rockets, it plans to send the first “Project Kuiper” Internet satellites into orbit using the ULA Atlas V. It is interesting to note that Blue Origin backer Jeff Bezos has a long-standing rivalry with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, which may have been a factor in its preference for ULA rockets if it can’t use its own.

Blue Origin and Dynetics have each filed separate protests with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Blue Origin’s filing was reportedly over 50 pages long. The Government Accountability Office’s website had this to say about its mission:

“GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars. Our work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols.”

So on the face of it, Blue Origin’s complaint may not fly if SpaceX can save taxpayers money on hardware destined for use on space missions and still pass NASA’s highly detailed technical inspections. The demand for space launches is unlikely to go down anytime soon, but government organizations like the Department of Defense have decided to go with SpaceX’s reusable rocket stages to launch hardware like GPS satellites because the switch could save money.

NASA has previously selected SpaceX to launch components for the Lunar Gateway, which is expected to provide logistical support for astronauts on lunar landing missions. The Gateway will reside in lunar orbit and will include hardware built by longtime international partners. Canada will build an updated version of the “Canadarm” that it has previously provided for NASA’s Space Shuttle and the “Canadarm2” that it built for the International Space Station.

SpaceX has a contract with NASA and its contractors to launch the uncrewed Astronautics lunar lander and NASA’s VIPER rover. This mission will conduct effective scouting operations for crewed lunar landings and possible permanent bases on the lunar surface.

Although NASA acknowledged that it has received notification of the challenge that Blue Origins and Dynetics filed with the GAO, a spokesperson declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

Technology

SpaceX Receives Approval to Operate Some Starlink Satellites in Lower Orbit

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The FCC has handed SpaceX a partial victory in the latest round of its scraps with competing satellite Internet providers by approving the operation of 2,814 Starlink satellites at a lower orbit than previously planned. Some competitors like OneWeb and Amazon’s planned “Project Kuiper” satellite constellation had objected on the grounds that the satellites could interfere with their operations.

SpaceX says that the lower orbits will make Starlink capable of faster Internet speeds and lower latency. This will likely make Starlink more attractive for Internet users who want fast “reaction times” in their Internet services. The gamer in the below video, for instance, tested a few online games with the Starlink “Better than Nothing Beta.”

OneWeb had previously reported that one of its Internet satellites nearly collided with a Starlink satellite during launch, which triggered a “Red Alert” from the U.S. Space Force. SpaceX disputes the report, saying that OneWeb misrepresented the facts and the two satellites did not pass as close as it claimed.

Elon Musk also has an ongoing feud with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who runs the aerospace company Blue Origin. Most recently, SpaceX beat out Blue Origin for a NASA contract to complete development of the lunar lander for the Artemis Program.

The FCC did set some conditions for the approval of lower orbits for Starlink’s satellites. SpaceX must provide a semiannual report of failed satellites and coordinate with other satellite operators to ensure that signals from Starlink satellites do not interfere with the signals of competing Internet satellite constellations. The company will also have to report any future close calls between Starlink and other satellites.

SpaceX will especially have to work around the operations of other satellite constellations that are yet to be launched, which Amazon called an important partial victory for Project Kuiper.

“These conditions address our primary concerns regarding space safety and interference, and we appreciate the Commission’s work to maintain a safe and competitive environment in low earth orbit,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

Some of the fight between satellite Internet companies did leak out onto Twitter, which may be a little predictable for anything involving any combination of Elon Musk, regulators, and competitors. Musk started it in January when he accused Bezos of attempting to “hamstring” Starlink:

Amazon responded with an official statement that accused Musk and SpaceX of attempting “to smother competition in the cradle if they can.”

Amazon’s sentiment echoed Elon Musk’s complaint that ViaSat simply disliked competition when the company filed a complaint against SpaceX saying that the tens of thousands of Starlink satellites that the latter plans to launch will significantly add to the “space junk” problem. Skywatchers already say that they often spot strings of Starlink satellites streaking their way across the night sky. Incidents like the alleged near-collision between Starlink and OneWeb satellites may become more common as the region in which most orbiting satellites operate becomes more crowded.

The FCC did cite a statement from the American Astronomical Society saying that the proposed lower orbits for Starlink satellites will help to reduce the amount of sunlight that the satellites reflect at night by placing them in Earth’s shadow more. The regulators also accepted SpaceX’s word that the lower orbits would make it easier to deorbit the satellites when they have reached the end of their useful lives.

SpaceX also has an agreement with NASA to share information on the orbits of assets owned by either party. The International Space Station is capable of maneuvering to avoid “space junk” and Starlink satellites have a collision avoidance system that can maneuver out of the way of defunct satellites. SpaceX says that it disabled the collision avoidance system on the satellite in question to give OneWeb’s satellite a chance to maneuver out of the way in the recent incident.

Technology

Elon Musk Admits Mistakes in Solar Roof Pricing, Plans Distributed Power Plant

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Earlier this month, members of the Tesla Motors Club forum reported a drastic increase in the pricing for their solar roofs after they had already signed contracts to reserve their roofs. They were only given the choice of either paying the higher price or cancelling their reservation and getting their deposit back. They had been going back and forth about a possible class action lawsuit.

Now Tesla CEO Elon Musk admits that the company made “significant mistakes” that caused cost overruns and delays. He told investors in a quarterly earnings call that Tesla is struggling to keep up with the demand for solar roofs. The company has also struggled to assess the difficulty with installing the roofs and the complexity of each installation job can vary widely.

Elon Musk cites issues with the underlying roof structure, especially ones that would make it impossible to support the solar tiles, as a major reason for the sudden price spikes that the Tesla Motors Club members reported. It is possible for a roof to have issues under the existing tiles that might go unnoticed until it is inspected by a roofing contractor.

Distributed Power Plants in the Future?

When Tesla acquired Solar City in 2016, Elon Musk planned for the company’s solar power products to supplement the Tesla Powerwall. Musk said at the time that the new type of roof tile that SolarCity was working on at the time could capture more solar energy than normal solar panels once they actually had a working version. SolarCity had been owned by his cousins, though he served as chairman.

“We can’t do this well if Tesla and SolarCity are different companies, which is why we need to combine and break down the barriers inherent to being separate companies. … Now that Tesla is ready to scale Powerwall and SolarCity is ready to provide highly differentiated solar, the time has come to bring them together,” he wrote at the time.

Elon Musk now has plans to turn homes into a distributed power plant that can generate energy with a solar roof, store it in Powerwall batteries, and even send some of that energy to the electric grid. Tesla has unrolled a new company policy to essentially “bundle” its solar power and energy storage options instead of selling them separately. Its goal is to make it attractive enough to utilities to do it at scale.

He cited recent failures in power grids such as last summer’s rolling blackouts in California and Texas’ widescale power failure because the state had failed to winterize its power grid, which couldn’t handle the unusual cold snap last winter. A less centralized power plant could help mitigate this type of failures in the future.

“If this is not done, the utilities will fail to serve their customers. They won’t be able to do it,” he told investors.

In a Tweet, Elon Musk explained the reasoning behind the new “forced bundling,” saying that the system that combines a solar roof and Powerwall batteries can provide a seamless backup when the power goes out. In the earnings call, he cited studies by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University stating that utilities would have to double or triple their capacity to transmit power in order to reach net-zero carbon emissions when producing and transmitting electricity.

Utilities, of course, may not want to make that kind of investment and state and local governments may hesitate to spend the money to upgrade their infrastructure to allow for more environmentally friendly production of power. President Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan to upgrade infrastructure, which includes plans to upgrade power grids, may get whittled down through negotiations within Congress.

Elon Musk seems to see this as an opportunity to create distributed power plants that, naturally, include solar rooftops and Powerwalls added to as many homes as possible. It may be a matter of whether he can pull it off, considering that customers who have signed on the dotted line for a solar rooftop are already irked enough with him for jacking the price to discuss yet another possible class action lawsuit.

Technology

Tesla Sells 10 Percent of Bitcoin Holdings

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

In February, regulatory filings revealed that Tesla’s balance sheet included Bitcoin holdings that were then worth $1.5 billion. Earlier today, CEO Elon Musk announced that the company has sold 10% of those holdings.

Elon Musk’s long history with Bitcoin did include initial skepticism of the new form of currency. He had once been a co-founder of PayPal and may have thought that a fully digital coin, secured only by computing power, wouldn’t ever go mainstream. As recently as December 2020, Elon Musk has expressed skepticism regarding Bitcoin’s usefulness as a currency:

Some economists did echo Musk’s skepticism about Bitcoin, saying that it doesn’t have any intrinsic value. Its current price is simply based on people’s belief that it has value. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have shot back that the U.S. dollar also hasn’t had any intrinsic value since the U.S. government quit backing it with gold.

Musk’s opinion of the cryptocurrency world as a whole is not completely negative, however. By February, he did seem to be slightly less of a bear about Bitcoin:

Musk has also expressed curiosity about Bitcoin transactions, added “CEO of Dogecoin” to his Twitter profile for a day, and set up a Dogecoin miner for his youngest son, X Æ A-Xii. On the business side, Tesla has added Bitcoin as a payment option for electric vehicle purchases.

Followers of other cryptocurrencies have called for Musk to add “altcoins” like Dogecoin and Bitcoin Cash, both of which come with lower transaction fees and may be better suited for smaller purchases like a cup of coffee and sandwich at local cafes. Backers of Bitcoin Cash like longtime cryptocurrency insider Roger Ver say that it is closer to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision of a digital form of cash because it can scale better than the current form of Bitcoin.

Roger Ver on Bitcoin Cash

(It should be noted, however, that Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash are incompatible. If you attempt to send Bitcoin to a Bitcoin Cash address or vice versa, you will permanently lose your funds.)

The company also runs full Bitcoin nodes, which store the blockchain-based ledger used by Bitcoin and helps to streamline cryptocurrencies’ functionality. Musk has not said whether he or Tesla does any cryptocurrency mining outside of X Æ A-Xii’s single Dogecoin miner, however.

Musk’s increasingly frequent and positive mentions of cryptocurrency is believed to be a factor in Bitcoin recently hitting all-time highs of over $60,000. Chatter among cryptocurrency enthusiasts seems to be generally positive even though some did note that Bitcoiners should not rely on Elon Musk to prop up the cryptocurrency forever.

On the flip side, it seems to have made him a magnet for cryptocurrency-themed scams. Fake Twitter accounts impersonating Elon Musk have promised a “Bitcoin giveaway” to viewers who sent them Bitcoin, a scam that cost one German man 10 Bitcoin, which was then worth almost $600,000. Besides the fake accounts floating around not only on Twitter, but also on Telegram and Instagram, the scammers once managed to actually hack Elon Musk’s Twitter account in order to promote their scam.

For now, Elon Musk seems confident enough in Bitcoin and cryptocurrency as a whole to have only sold 10% of Tesla’s holdings for what he claims are demonstration purposes.

Finally, Elon Musk had this to say, which could be a reference to one of the cryptocurrency community’s favorite sayings, NASA’s recent selection of SpaceX to develop the lunar lander for the Artemis Program, or both:

Technology

Tesla to Recycle Some EV Components at Shanghai Factory

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The existence of electric vehicles is already seen as an environmental victory in some quarters as the world begins to move away from coal and toward renewable energy sources. Now Tesla plans to increase the environmental friendliness of its vehicles by recycling some critical components at Gigafactory Shanghai.

Tesla will start by refurbishing and reusing battery cells and electric motors and also has plans to recycle car structures and electric motor controllers. Despite CEO Elon Musk’s confidence that electric vehicles will make “dirty” gas-burning vehicles obsolete, the production of these components have been criticized for the use of toxic chemicals to mine the raw materials needed to manufacture them.

Tesla has attempted to answer these concerns by sourcing its raw materials from mining companies that use more environmentally mining practices, such as nickel mining companies in Canada that make use of “low-carbon” techniques.

“Tesla will give you a giant contract for a long period of time, if you mine nickel efficiently and in an environmentally-sensitive way,” Musk reportedly told mining company representatives.

Musk also seems interested in controlling as much of the supply chain as possible, including buying stakes in car battery manufacturing companies and exploring the possibility of having Tesla mine its own raw materials. Tesla also has the capacity to produce its own batteries and recently developed a more efficient battery making process that uses less water and fewer moving parts.

Recent expansions of Tesla’s manufacturing capacity in Shanghai include new facilities to produce electric vehicle components and chargers. The company also recently leased more land near Gigafactory Shanghai for further expansions.

China is currently ramping up its efforts to add regulations that would require increased recycling of key electronic vehicle components like batteries. Tesla has not officially commented on the proposed new regulations, though its new efforts to recycle components at Gigafactory Shanghai may simply be an attempt to stay ahead of the game.

Although Tesla sold 35,000 electric vehicles in China just last month, relations between Tesla and China have seen some ongoing tensions since China’s decision to forbid government employees and military officers to bring their Tesla vehicles onto government property. China’s official reason is that Tesla vehicles’ cameras could be used to gather sensitive information about activities at military installations and government-run facilities, though Tesla denies that the cameras are activated in China.

Tesla is also suing a Chinese news outlet for libel after it ran an article alleging that Gigafactory Shanghai makes use of “sweatshop” working conditions – something that could be seen as the pot calling the kettle black even though Tesla has certainly had its share of disputes with disgruntled former employees. The company has also appealed a ruling that Elon Musk’s tweet criticizing efforts to unionize was an attempt to intimidate employees who may be considering joining the United Auto Workers. China is notorious for its forced labor practices, which most recently includes the recent growing awareness of its imprisonment and abuse of its Uighur Muslim population.

Despite the tensions, Tesla and China seem to have no plans to end a business relationship that is profitable for both parties. Tesla is simply attempting to stay ahead of the curve by adding the capacity to recycle some critical components at Gigafactory Shanghai.

Space

Record Number of Astronauts on ISS With Successful Crew Dragon Docking

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying NASA’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, the European Space Agency’s Thomas Pesquet, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Akihiko Hoshide has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) early Saturday morning. The successful docking of Crew-2’s Crew Dragon, known as “Endeavour,” temporarily brings the number of astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS up to a record-setting 11.

Crew-2 successfully launched from NASA’s Cape Canaveral before dawn on April 23. Once on orbit, it performed a series of burns to bring its orbit in line with the International Space Station. This is the second of a series of six crewed flights to the International Space Station that SpaceX will conduct for NASA as part of one of its contracts with the space agency.

The contract is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew program designed to provide a privately developed and owned replacement for the Space Shuttle, which was retired in 2011. Although it has annoyed Russia that its monopoly on crewed launches to the International Space Station is now broken, SpaceX’s work represents a cost savings for NASA of $25 million a seat compared to launches on the Russian Soyuz.

SpaceX can provide these cost savings due to its development of reusable hardware. SpaceX previously used Endeavour for the Demo-2 mission, for instance, though it has since been upgraded based on data and technical reviews from the final test mission to demonstrate the Crew Dragon’s operational readiness.

Most notably, SpaceX technicians made note of greater than expected wear and tear in parts of the Crew Dragon’s heat shield during post-flight inspections of the spacecraft. The heat shield has since been shored up in those areas. Concerns about the heat shield, which protects astronauts from the excessive heat produced by the friction of reentry, dates back as far as the Mercury Program’s “Friendship 7” mission, during which John Glenn became the first NASA astronaut to orbit Earth. A false alarm had caused concern that the heat shield on the Mercury spacecraft had come loose.

The reusable hardware may have also been a factor in NASA’s selection of SpaceX’s lunar lander proposal for the Artemis Program. The $2.89 billion fixed-price contract was reportedly based partly on a bid that was far lower than those placed by Blue Origin and Dynetics. SpaceX has also passed several rounds of technological readiness reviews.

The Crew-1 astronauts are still on board the ISS and are expected to return home in one of NASA’s classic “splashdowns” on Wednesday. The splashdown method had previously been used for NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s. It was also used for the Demo-2 mission, which was the final test of the Crew Dragon’s ability to support astronauts and ferry them to the International Space Station.

Earlier this month, Crew-1 had moved its Crew Dragon, Resilience, to another port to make room for Crew-2 to dock to the space station’s zenith port. While space station crews have previously had to relocate the Russian Soyuz to make room for incoming spacecraft, this was a first for the SpaceX Crew Dragon. The International Space Station’s docking ports have seen a lot of action in recent weeks, including the arrival of the Russian Soyuz MS-18 and an uncrewed SpaceX Cargo Dragon.

During Crew-2’s six-month stay on the International Space Station, the crew will perform valuable scientific experiments and make upgrades to the space station’s solar panel array. This includes the installation of flatter solar panels that they can unroll like a yoga mat and continuing studies of the effects of microgravity on human organs and tissues. These studies could assist with the development of new therapies for health conditions that are common in seniors and the mitigation of “space aging” for long-duration missions like journeys to Mars.

Elon Musk to Guest Host SNL on May 8

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

On top of being the busy CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk has signed on to guest host the late night show Saturday Night Live on May 8. Miley Cyrus is slated to be the musical guest.

Despite being recognized as the second wealthiest person by Bloomberg (and briefly touching on the top slot not that long ago), Elon Musk rarely comes off as a stuffy executive. He jokes around on Twitter and, yes, occasionally makes ill-considered tweets such as occasional, very public disputes with critics and a previous comment that he could take Tesla private.

That tweet cost him a $20 million fine from stock market regulators and his position as president of the company’s board of directors. That incident may have added to, if not sparked, Musk’s long dislike of regulators, whom he has frequently blistered on Twitter when they took actions that they didn’t like. An FAA investigation into alleged safety issues at the Boca Chica test facility has, for instance, led to a delay in SpaceX’s Starship prototype test schedule. SpaceX is also currently appealing a ruling on the U.S. Department of Justice’s probe into alleged discriminatory hiring practices, which it may have grounds for considering that the Department of Defense has potentially conflicting regulations that govern the employment of non-citizen immigrants by military contractors.

He has since admitted that taking Tesla private could prove impossible now that the stock has gained enough ground to be included in the S&P 500 index. The stock’s price rise was likely spurred on by Tesla’s record number of vehicle deliveries in 2020 and another quarterly record of deliveries in Q1 2021, the latter of which was hampered only by a temporary pause in the production of the Model S and Model X to retrofit a factory to support their revamped look.

Although Elon Musk has previous said, “Vacation will kill you,” after catching an illness during a trip to his native country of South Africa, he does know how to have fun. He has been seen wing-walking with a professional aerial stunt group and playing the maracas with a mariachi band. The meme-based cryptocurrency Dogecoin gets the occasional mention on his Twitter account, usually as part of a joke. He was even the honorary “CEO of Dogecoin” for a day.

His sense of humor seems to extend to his companies’ operations on occasion. “Tesla Tequila” was recently added to Tesla’s online shop and sold out quickly upon its introduction, apparently to the annoyance of the Mexican government, which questioned whether it was authentic Tequila. Recent regulatory filings have added “Technoking of Tesla” to Elon Musk’s titles.

He may make an equally dramatic and fun SpaceX- or Tesla-themed entrance for his day on Saturday Night Live. It is somewhat rare for a CEO of a major company (let alone two) to host Saturday Night Live. Besides the expected lineup of big-name entertainers like Eddie Murphy and Betty White, previous high-profile hosts include Donald Trump, Steve Forbes, Al Sharpton, and Rudy Giuliani.

Space

NASA, SpaceX Launch Crew-2 on Second Operational Commercial Crew Flight

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide, and Thomas Pesquet are on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) after the successful launch of Crew-2 at 5:40 EDT this morning. This is the second operational flight out of a series of six crewed flights to the ISS that NASA has contracted with SpaceX.

This marks the first time that SpaceX has reused a Crew Dragon that previously flew a crew. This spacecraft was previously used to fly the Demo-2 astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, in May 2020. Demo-2 splashed down last August.

Data from Demo-2 was used to make improvements to the Crew Dragon. Most notably, the heat shield was reinforced after post-flight inspections revealed greater wear and tear than expected in some places. SpaceX also added a viewing port through which the Crew-2 astronauts reported seeing the Falcon 9’s second stage after separation.

Crew-2 is the first to feature two of the International Space Station’s international partners besides NASA’s astronauts. Akihiko Hoshide represents Japan’s JAXA and Thomas Pesquet represents the European Space Agency. Crew-1 included a single international partner, JAXA’s Soichi Noguchi.

When they arrive early in the morning of April 24, they will begin the first handover between Commercial Crew astronauts onboard the International Space Station. Crew-1 is expected to return home a few days after Crew-2’s arrival. Earlier this month, Crew-1 moved its Crew Dragon to another port so that Crew-2 could dock to the International Space Station’s zenith port. While both crews and the Expedition 65 crew are on board, the space station will host a record-setting eleven astronauts.

Crew-2 is expected to spend six months on the ISS, conducting valuable research and maintenance. One especially valuable experiment is referred to as “Tissue Chips in Space.” Tissue chips are miniature replicas of organs and tissues that can be used for research in environments like the International Space Station. The Tissue Chips in Space experiment will study the effects of microgravity on the immune system, lung immune response, musculoskeletal disease, kidney function, and the muscle loss that astronauts typically go through on long-duration space missions. Microgravity is often used to simulate the effects of aging and may lead to the development of new therapeutics that can address ailments that are most often seen in seniors.

Crew-2 will also install the new ISS Roll-out Solar Array as part of upgrades to the station’s solar array. The new solar array can unroll like a yoga mat and was developed as part of NASA Small Business Innovation Research program.

The final docking for Demo-2 is expected to occur at about 5:10 am on April 24, with a welcome party scheduled to begin at 7:45 am. The welcome party will include NASA Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Kathy Lueders, JAXA Vice President and Director-General Hiroshi Sasaki, and ESA International Space Station Program Manager Frank de Winne. It will be streamed live on NASA TV.

In the below NASA TV video, NASA continues live coverage of the Crew-2’s journey to the International Space Station.

Technology

Robotic Dogs Spotted Patrolling SpaceX Test Launch Facility

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Robotic “dogs” have been utilized by police units, militaries, and government agencies whose roles require a strong security presence. Now they are being used by SpaceX to patrol the SpaceX test launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, ahead of the first (and hopefully not last) test flight of the Starship prototype SN15.

It may have reason for the increased security that includes patrols by the robotic dogs, considering that a YouTuber known only as “Loco VlogS” filmed himself trespassing at the Boca Chica facility in March. Loco VlogS has since deleted the video from his channel, but it has been uploaded elsewhere. A NASA spokesman later said that SpaceX had assured the space agency that it was investigating the matter.

It may be right to be concerned, considering that SpaceX makes use of technology that has been deemed important for national security along with being important for NASA’s various missions. SpaceX sometimes launches sensitive hardware for the military and has recently been tapped to complete development of the lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis Program.

Loco VlogS later posted this apology video acknowledging that his decision to trespass on a privately owned, fully operational rocket test facility was rather stupid.

SpaceX has lost the previous four prototypes, SN8, SN9, SN10, and SN11, while attempting to land them as part of high-altitude launch tests. The matter has resulted in some unwelcome scrutiny from the FAA and calls for a Congressional hearing. The test of SN11, shown in the below video, demonstrates the “bellyflop” maneuver that SpaceX intends to use to bring the Starship rockets back into Earth’s atmosphere.

This time, it has issued a warning that a failure in the upcoming test of SN15 could lead to what it called an “overpressure event” capable of shattering windows in nearby homes. However, it has not yet released an exact time for the test, which can depend on a wide variety of factors ranging from weather to a faulty engine. A test launch was once delayed because an official from the FAA was late, which likely caused Elon Musk further annoyance.

A robotic dog from Boston Dynamics costs $74,500 and are most often used for hazardous work. SpaceX has used them to inspect the debris from the last four prototypes after they exploded, for instance. Considering that SN15 has gone through several upgrades based on data from the previous high-altitude tests, the company may hope that the robots won’t be needed to serve the same purpose again. The most notable changes involve upgrades to the Raptor and the addition of a Starlink terminal capable of accessing SpaceX’s Internet satellites.

Two of SpaceX’s robotic dogs have been dubbed “Zeus” and “Apollo.” They are equipped with cameras and sensors that make them uniquely suited for their “jobs” in security and inspecting the debris from rocket explosions. The dogs were spotted by a photojournalist known as BobaChicaGal.

Technology

Senate Democrats Call for “Corrective Actions” After Fatal Tesla Crash

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Following the crash of a Tesla Model S that killed two people in Texas, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have sent a letter to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Acting Administrator Steven Cliff calling for a determination of the exact cause of the crash. The letter states that this information could help shape future legislation surrounding self-driving cars.

“We look forward to working with you and the NTSB to implement policy changes that stop these preventable deaths from occurring and save lives,” they said in their letter.

The NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are already investigating the crash. Since the initial report of the crash, the two fatalities were identified as Everette Talbot, 69, and William Varner, 59. William Varner was listed as one of the best anesthesiologists in the Houston area.

Local authorities say that the 2019 Model S vehicle’s Autopilot was likely activated at the time of the crash, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk disputes. Tesla vehicles with Autopilot or Full Self-Driving are capable of transmitting data about usage to Tesla servers when the software. That data can then be used to train the central AI that controls the software. According to Musk, the logs indicate that the Autopilot was inactive and the vehicle was not equipped with the Full Self-Driving software.

The initial data indicates that the Model S may have been speeding at the time of the crash. There had been reports of sudden unintended acceleration in some Tesla vehicles, which the NHTSA previously investigated. The regulatory body ruled at the time that the issue was more likely to be user error. Essentially, drivers may have hit the accelerator when they thought they were hitting the brake.

The NTSB seems more willing to rule against Tesla, including a finding that Autopilot was partially at fault in a 2018 accident in California that killed the owner of the Model X involved. Because of this, Musk has been more hostile toward that regulatory agency. This seems to be a pattern with Musk’s dealing with regulators, as he has also aimed sharp comments at the FAA when it opened an investigation into the recent explosions of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes even though no one was injured or killed.

There may be some evidence that the sensors used by the Autopilot and FSD software can be tricked. Consumer Reports recently issued the results of tests that say Autopilot can be tricked into thinking that someone is in the driver’s seat when the seat is actually empty. It has issued a “Don’t try this at home” warning, however.

The Tesla website includes the disclaimer that the Autopilot is not capable of fully replacing a driver and operators of a Tesla vehicle should stay alert while using it. Full Self-Driving is still in beta and the company will sometimes remove testers from the beta program if there is evidence that they are not staying alert while using it. Such evidence may be captured with onboard interior cameras and sensors such as one that can detect whether a driver’s hands are on the wheel.

The text of the Democratic Senators’ letter to the NHTSA can be seen here. The letter cites both the reports of local law enforcement personnel and Elon Musk’s tweet on the matter.

SpaceX Disputes Report of Near-Miss Between Starlink, OneWeb Satellites

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

SpaceX has filed a complaint with the FCC regarding reports that a OneWeb satellite nearly collided with a Starlink satellite. OneWeb is a competitor for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service.

The incident occurred while OneWeb was launching a group of 36 Internet satellites out of a planned constellation of 648. OneWeb’s satellites will operate at a higher orbit than the Starlink constellation and this batch had to pass through a group of Starlink satellites to get to their planned orbit. According to OneWeb, one of its satellites passed within 190 feet of one another. The U.S. Space Force issued a “red alert” to both companies regarding the possible collision.

OneWeb claims that SpaceX told its competitor that there was nothing they could do to avoid a collision and disabled the collision-avoidance system to give OneWeb’s satellite a chance to make its own evasive maneuvers. SpaceX denies that it ever disabled the collision-avoidance system.

SpaceX Director of Satellite Policy David Goldman said in the FCC filing that OneWeb was to blame for triggering an unnecessary red alert from the Space Force. SpaceX offered to maneuver its satellite out of the way, but OneWeb turned it down and the chances of an actual collision were slim even without any maneuvers.

“Despite OneWeb’s previous public claims, SpaceX’s autonomous collision-avoidance system was and remains fully functional at all times. SpaceX only turned off the capability at OneWeb’s explicit request after OneWeb decided to conduct a maneuver,” Goldman stated in the filing.

According to the paperwork involved in the complaint, officials from OneWeb, SpaceX, and the FCC held a meeting regarding the close encounter between the two satellites. SpaceX claims that OneWeb offered to retract its earlier statements about the alleged disabling of the Starlink satellite’s collision-avoidance system. OneWeb has not yet issued a public retraction.

OneWeb has not yet commented on the allegations described in SpaceX’s complaint. However, SpaceX personnel have hinted that this is yet another attempt by a competitor to throw shade at Starlink. Just a few months ago, ViaSat filed a complaint with the FCC alleging that SpaceX’s planned 42,000-satellite Starlink constellation will add to the “space junk” program. ViaSat’s filings have, of course, been sharply criticized by both SpaceX and Elon Musk.

“Viasat has been making misrepresentations about space safety and demanding unilateral restrictions on competitors in scores of Commission filings and public statements,” Goldman said.

Such an attitude may not be completely unwarranted, considering that SpaceX has been so focused on launching satellites so quickly and making certain that people in regions that have previously been neglected by Internet service providers could gain access. SpaceX currently has 1,400 Starlink satellites in orbit and launches more on a reusable Falcon 9 rocket every few weeks. Satellite Internet services like Starlink, OneWeb, and ViaSat could be useful in closing the “Digital Divide” discussed in the below Ted Talk if they could only focus on developing their respective services instead of fighting with one another with the regulators acting as an umpire.

Starlink’s “Better than Nothing Beta” has recruited beta testers who say that the terminals perform well in harsh winter conditions. It has worked with some parties like Washington State’s Hoh Tribe and a school district in Texas to provide access to low-income families who might otherwise be left behind by the lack of opportunity caused by unreliable Internet access. SpaceX is also currently working with the United States’ FCC and UK’s “Project Gigabit” to bring better broadband Internet access to rural areas.

A OneWeb spokesman has chimed in by saying that its planned 648-satellite constellation is “a more responsible use of space” and perfectly capable of providing global coverage for Internet access. SpaceX says that the lower orbit for its satellites will provide improved latency times, which could be valuable for applications like gaming that require fast response times.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that future missions for the Starship rocket and spacecraft might include retrieving non-functional space junk. A company called D-Sat has also said that the issue could be much reduced before satellites are even launched by attaching a small “jet pack” to satellites that could be used to slow them down enough for them to burn up in the atmosphere when they have reached the end of their useful life.

Technology

Regulator Probes Fatal Tesla Crash

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA) are currently probing a crash involving a Tesla that authorities say had its Autopilot engage at the time of the accident. The vehicle reportedly hit a tree on Saturday at 11:25 pm in a neighborhood called The Woodlands, about 30 miles north of Houston. The accident killed two people.

Previous encounters with regulators include the NHTSA’s mandated recall of 158,000 electric vehicles to fix an issue with faulty media control units. On the flip side, the NHTSA has previously ruled that reported cases of sudden unexpected acceleration were likely due to driver error. This may raise some doubts regarding whether driver error or a flaw in the vehicle caused the crash. Early results of the investigation indicate that it was likely speeding at the time that it ran off the road.

The crash caused it to burst into flames and local firefighters had to use more than 30,000 gallons of water to get it out because it kept reigniting. The firefighters reportedly had to call Tesla for information on how to get it extinguished.

The authorities announced plans to obtain a warrant to have Tesla hand over data related to the Autopilot onboard the 2019 Model S involved in the crash. Elon Musk tweeted his doubts that the vehicle actually had the Autopilot engaged and said the vehicle wasn’t loaded with the Full Self-Driving software, which includes features that the Autopilot doesn’t have.

Full Self-Driving (FSD) is still in its public beta phase and Tesla says that neither FSD nor Autopilot is capable of fully autonomous driving. It has kicked drivers out of the FSD beta program for failing to stay fully alert while using the software.

Besides Musk’s tweet, Tesla has not issued an official statement on the crash and is unlikely to. It doesn’t currently have a PR department and regards Musk’s tweets as official company communications even though his tweets are currently the subject of a lawsuit from an investor seeking to force Tesla to keep its mandatory commitment to retain a lawyer who can review tweets before they are published.

Tesla has already been through a few lawyers for this position, which may indicate a few behind-the-scenes personality clashes involving Musk. His past tweets have also been in the crosshairs of regulators like the FCC, which forced him to resign as the president of the company’s bord of directors.

Elon Musk has reportedly lost $5.6 billion due to a plummeting Tesla stock. The sell-off was sparked by this latest accident involving one of its vehicles. This drops him to third place in Bloomberg’s list of wealthiest people so soon after he briefly seized the top slot from his top aerospace rival, Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos.

Previous accidents involving the autopilot include one in which a 38-year-old driver of a Model X hit a concrete barrier while using Autopilot and a 40-year-old driver whose Model S’s Autopilot failed to stop when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the vehicle. This most recent crash involved two unidentified men aged 59 and 69. The bottom line is that the Autopilot is nowhere near ready to handle driving a vehicle on its own and drivers should always remain alert while using it.

Space

NASA Selects SpaceX to Land Astronauts on Moon

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

NASA has accepted SpaceX’s proposal to develop the spacecraft that will land astronauts on the Moon. The lunar lander will be capable of carrying two astronauts to the Moon.

NASA’s Project Artemis includes the goals of landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon. Plans for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) include launching four astronauts into transit to the Moon.  The SLS has often been criticized for cost overruns and delays and the rocket has only flown once in an uncrewed test. The system has often been dubbed the “Senate Launch System” by critics because it was invented by the U.S. Congress as part of a funding bill meant to provide jobs in the aerospace industry. Even so, NASA is still working on getting it off the ground even though SpaceX might reach the Moon sooner with missions like the privately funded DearMoon mission, which is slated to launch in 2023.

SpaceX’s lunar lander has officially been dubbed the human landing system (HLS) and will be capable of supporting the two astronauts on the Moon for up to a week at a time.

“With this award, NASA and our partners will complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century as the agency takes a step forward for women’s equality and long-term deep space exploration,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA’s associate administrator for Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate.

The contact includes a fixed fee of $2.89 billion. SpaceX has also recently won a contract to launch the first components of the Lunar Gateway into lunar orbit. The Lunar Gateway will be capable of providing some logistical support for lunar landings.

SpaceX’s contracts with NASA also include agreements to resupply the International Space Station with the uncrewed Cargo Dragon and ferry astronauts to the space station with the Crew Dragon. The Crew-1 spacecraft, dubbed “Endeavour,” is currently docked to the International Space Station and has recently been moved to another port as part of preparations for the arrival of Crew-2, which is slated to launch on April 22. Crew-1 is expected to return to Earth in a classic NASA “splashdown” shortly after the arrival of Crew-2.

For the human landing system contract, SpaceX beat out competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics. SpaceX’s bid of $2.89 billion was reportedly far lower than the other proposals. The company may be banking on its ability to save on costs by reusing hardware as much as possible. Its lunar lander design looks like a pared-down version of the Starship rocket that is currently under development.

(And, yes, the prototypes do keep blowing up, much to the annoyance of regulators who have expressed concern about safety measures even though no one has been injured or killed in the explosions. Elon Musk thinks SpaceX’s engineers have the problem pinned down, though. The SN15 prototype has undergone several upgrades.)

Both SpaceX and NASA are confident that the contract will help get them on the road to Mars, though of course SpaceX’s ambitious timeline would have it sending Starship spacecraft to the Martian surface much sooner.

“[SpaceX] would maybe have a shot of sending or trying to send something to Mars in three years, but the window is four years away,” Elon Musk said at last October’s virtual Mars Society conference.

“This critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the solar system, including Mars,” Kathy Lueders said of the new contract to have SpaceX produce the human landing system.

The award was made as part of NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Appendix H Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). NASA also plans to implement a competitive procurement for sustainable crewed lunar surface transportation services that will provide human access to the lunar surface using the Lunar Gateway. If all goes as planned, crewed lunar flights backed by NASA will become a regular occurrence once the initial landing has been made and the Gateway becomes capable of supporting crews.

Technology

Tesla Vehicle Cameras Capture Footage of Alleged Hate Crime

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Footage from the cameras of a Tesla helped the Department of Justice crack an alleged string of hate crimes in Springfield, Missouri, that included slashing the tires of cars that belonged to African-Americans and setting fire to a local church with primarily African-American members. The suspect, a 44-year-old Maine resident named Dushko Vulchev, is now accused of setting the fire that gutted Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church.

The Department of Justice accuses Vulchev of setting four fires at the church between December 13 and December 28, the last of which destroyed the church. His tire slashing spree included the Tesla that captured the footage that led to his arrest. The footage captured on December 14 indicated that he had actually been attempting to remove the tires from the Tesla vehicle while it was parked near the church.

“The video footage from the Tesla shows Vulchev at a close distance crouching near the Tesla and using a tire iron to remove the wheels,” said FBI agent Casey Anderson in a statement entered into court records.

Tesla vehicles have an optional “Sentinel Mode” that acts as a vehicle security system on steroids and includes the capture of video footage that is often higher quality than that provided by the security footage taken by security cameras in many small businesses. The higher quality makes it possible for the Full Self-Driving software to see what is going on around the vehicle while it is driving. Tesla recently put out a call for more beta testers for Full Self-Driving, but the software shows signs of progressing toward a version that may be robust enough to bring out of beta and potentially even license to other automakers.

Sentinel Mode is meant to combat vehicle thefts, which can be especially helpful considering that Tesla recently had to patch a security flaw affecting the key fob that allows the owner to open and operate his or her vehicle. Footage from the cameras in vehicles with Sentinel Mode has also been instrumental in capturing vandals who specifically targeted Tesla vehicles.

In this case, the Department of Justice has evidence that Vulchev targeted African-Americans in his crimes. Officials found racist images and text on his personal devices that indicated a “hatred of Black people.”

Despite the vehicle cameras’ potential for helping to solve crimes like the attack on the African-American church, some people have expressed concern that the cameras could pose a risk to privacy. The interior cameras can capture footage of passengers of a Tesla vehicle, which may be undesirable at times.

Security experts have especially expressed concern that malicious actors could gain access to the footage that has been relayed from the cameras to servers owned by Tesla. As the hacktivist group APT-69420 Arson Cats recently demonstrated, it may be possible to exploit security flaws in a centralized security camera system to gain Super Admin access, which can grant the attackers access to sensitive security camera footage.

China has recently banned its government employees from bringing Tesla vehicles to its facilities due to concerns that the cameras could be used to collect sensitive information about activities at those facilities despite Tesla’s denial that the cameras function outside of North America.

Vulchev currently faces four counts of damage to religious property involving fire, which the Department of Justice classifies as a hate crime, and one count of using fire to commit a federal felony. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.