Tech • AI • Robotics • Game
SpaceX Just Did the Impossible!
9.4/10TL;DR
SpaceX sent Starship to orbit for the first time on 28 September, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, while a separate leak exposed a likely third-generation Tesla Optimus design and new footage showed rapid foundation work at the planned Terafab chip complex in Texas.
KEY POINTS
Starship reaches orbit
Starship Flight 14 lifted off from Starbase, Texas with all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster firing, producing about 18 million pounds of thrust. The mission lasted a little over three hours, reached orbit, released satellites, and ended with a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The launch came 10 years and one day after Elon Musk first presented the concept that evolved into Starship.
Why orbit mattered this time
Earlier Starship flights were intentionally suborbital, following a passive safety trajectory so the vehicle would naturally fall back toward a safe ocean recovery zone after engine cutoff. Orbit is different because a spacecraft stays there unless it performs a deorbit burn, and Starship is built to survive reentry rather than burn up like typical debris. That meant SpaceX waited until it was confident the vehicle could both reach orbit and return safely.
Engine issue nearly changed the plan
About 7.5 minutes into flight, one of Starship’s three vacuum-optimized engines shut down early. SpaceX briefly indicated the vehicle would not commit to orbit, then reversed that decision after additional checks confirmed the remaining engines could complete the mission. A short relight of a central engine roughly 25 minutes after launch pushed the ship into orbit at about 170 miles altitude and more than 16,000 mph.
First operational Starlink V3 deployment
Around 35 minutes into the mission, Starship opened a side payload door over southern Africa and began releasing 26 Starlink V3 satellites across the Indian Ocean and over Indonesia. SpaceX later confirmed contact with all 26 spacecraft. Unlike a previous test batch sent to burn up after deployment, these satellites are intended to remain in service and begin supporting Starlink customers within weeks.
Why Starlink V3 matters
Each Starlink V3 satellite reportedly weighs about 2,000 kilograms, roughly double older versions, and is too large for Falcon 9. Each can process about 1 terabit of data, around 10 times the capacity of the current generation. A full Starship load of about 60 V3 satellites would add network capacity comparable to roughly 20 Falcon 9 launches carrying older satellites, making Flight 14 the first Starship mission with a direct revenue-producing payload.
Return cut short but still successful
The original plan called for up to six orbits and a splashdown off Chile to further test long-duration propellant management. Because of engine concerns, SpaceX chose an earlier deorbit and redirected to a backup splashdown zone north of Hawaii. The ship reentered over Asia, controlled itself with its flaps, and landed softly in the Pacific before later exploding, a post-splashdown loss that did not alter the main mission outcome.
Booster and ship showed remaining weaknesses
The Super Heavy booster lost one engine during ascent, and only 31 of 33 engines reportedly relit for its reentry profile. The upper stage also suffered the early shutdown of a vacuum engine and had its mission shortened from a planned 10 hours to a little over three. Even so, the vehicle achieved both primary goals: orbital insertion and deployment of working satellites.
Tesla app leak reveals possible Optimus Gen 3
Files found inside a recent Tesla Android app build included 3D models labeled as third-generation Optimus alongside older versions. The images spread online after being briefly posted by Whole Mars. The design appears far more refined than earlier prototypes, with smoother champagne-gold bodywork, matte black lower leg covers, tighter panel fit, and improved sealing around moving joints to keep out dust and debris.
Signs of a consumer-ready robot strategy
The updated hands, previously described by Tesla as having 22 degrees of freedom, appear more precise than before. Earlier app code had already pointed to features such as phone key access, consent prompts for in-home video collection, and alerts for low battery or mechanical issues. Together, those details suggest Tesla is building not just the robot but a full ownership software stack.
Optimus manufacturing and Terafab expansion
Tesla has removed old Model S and Model X lines at Fremont to make room for Optimus production, with a stated goal of up to 1 million robots per year, and is targeting a dedicated Gigafactory Texas Optimus plant by 2027. Supporting that scale is Terafab, a proposed joint Tesla-SpaceX chip complex in Grimes County, Texas, planned at more than 100 million square feet. New drone footage shows the project moving from land clearing to visible concrete footings and rebar placement, a sign that structural foundations are now underway.
CONCLUSION
The week marked a significant step in SpaceX’s effort to make Starship a practical orbital workhorse, while Tesla appeared to inch closer to a production-ready Optimus and accelerated groundwork for the infrastructure needed to power its broader AI ambitions.
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