Stories by Alex Diaz

Grok and xAI product imagery

SpaceXAI Launches Grokipedia v0.3 With New Visuals and Features

SpaceXAI launched Grokipedia v0.3 on Wednesday, bringing a refreshed visual design and new features to its AI-generated encyclopedia as the Wikipedia alternative reaches its third major release. Grokipedia said Wednesday the update is now live at grokipedia.com, continuing the rapid release cadence that began with v0.1 in October 2025 and v0.2 in November 2025. The...
Starship Flight 14 full stack at sunrise on the Starbase launch mount

Elon Musk Says Starship Will Launch Giant Telescopes Into Space

Elon Musk said Wednesday that Starship, which reached orbit for the first time on September 28, could expand physics research by carrying much larger telescopes into orbit and giant observatories to the Moon. The statement follows Starship Flight 14 on Monday, September 28, the first flight of the program to reach orbit. That mission deployed...
Four astronauts in dark polo shirts stand together inside a space hangar next to a large spacecraft, with a US flag in the background.

SpaceX Completes Crew-13 Rehearsal Ahead of October 1 ISS Launch

SpaceX said Tuesday it completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities for NASA's Crew-13 mission, clearing the final major milestone before four astronauts are scheduled to lift off for the International Space Station on Thursday, October 1. The update was shared in a post with an 11-second video as the mission enters its final...
Tesla Gigafactory Nevada

Tesla Secures $30 Billion Credit Facilities, Plans No Draws in 2026

Tesla has arranged $30 billion in new unsecured credit facilities, including a $20 billion delayed-draw term loan, according to a current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on Tuesday. The largest piece is a $20 billion senior unsecured delayed-draw term loan with Citibank as administrative agent. Tesla can tap it up to 10...
Starlink in-flight WiFi in an aircraft cabin

Elon Musk Says Delta CEO Will Lose His Job Over Starlink Snub

Elon Musk said Tuesday that Delta's chief executive "will lose his job over this," escalating his criticism after the airline chose Amazon's Leo satellite internet instead of Starlink for its in-flight WiFi. Musk made the comment on September 29 while replying to travel writer Gary Leff, who reported that Delta's CEO had criticized Musk while...
Tesla Roadster teaser: left side shows 'ROADSTER' with a countdown; space backdrop on the right with the car's rear emitting bright exhaust beams.

Elon Musk Says High Winds Forced Tesla Roadster Demo Delay

Elon Musk said Tuesday that high winds forced Tesla to delay its new Roadster demo by two weeks, pushing the reveal to October 15 as fresh analysis adds more support to the fan car theory. Quoting Tesla's September 28 announcement, Musk wrote, "Due to high winds, the new Roadster demo is postponed by 2 weeks."...
Travel ad banner: sunset over coastal mountains with CNT and Starlink logos, slogan 'DONDE OTROS NO LLEGAN, TÚ SÍ TE CONECTAS' and price from $15.99 + IVA.

Starlink Mobile Launches in Ecuador With State Carrier CNT

Starlink Mobile is now live in Ecuador through a partnership with state-owned carrier CNT, letting customers with compatible phones send messages and use apps in places where regular cell service cuts out. The company announced the launch on Tuesday, September 29, pointing to Ecuador's mix of remote landscapes as a natural fit for the service....
White semi-truck driving on a straight desert highway under a clear blue sky with distant hills.

Diesel Trucker With 700 Rigs Bets $15 Million on 50 Tesla Semis

Henry Malukas, who built HMD Trucking from a single truck into a $250 million company running nearly 700 diesel big rigs across Illinois and Indiana, told MotorTrend he is buying 50 Tesla Semi trucks in a deal worth roughly $15 million, a big vote of confidence from a lifelong diesel operator. Malukas founded HMD 28...
Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from a SpaceX pad, flames and smoke erupting as it climbs into the blue sky. (informative)

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Set to Launch NROL-97 on October 1

SpaceX revealed its Falcon Heavy rocket inside the hangar at Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Monday, three days before the 27-engine heavy-lifter is set to launch the classified NROL-97 mission. The company's post featured close-up footage of the rocket's 27 Merlin engine nozzles, arranged in a grid beneath its three first-stage cores. Each core...
Tesla Roadster

Tesla Patents Electric Fan Car With Active Downforce System

Tesla was granted U.S. Patent 12,746,987 B1 on September 29, 2026, covering an electric fan system designed to generate vehicle downforce while also reducing aerodynamic drag. The patent, titled "Electric fan car," was awarded to Tesla, Inc. and lists Niccolo Cymbalist and others as inventors. Tesla filed application 18/415094 on January 17, 2024, following a...
Aer Lingus aircraft with Starlink Wi-Fi

SWISS Flies First Starlink-Equipped Aircraft With Gate-to-Gate WiFi

SWISS has put its first Starlink-equipped aircraft into service at Zurich, an Airbus A320neo named Iseltwald that gives passengers free high-speed internet from gate to gate. Starlink confirmed the jet had taken flight on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, a day after SWISS announced the launch from Zurich Airport. The carrier said the aircraft, registration HB-JDM,...
Interior view of a car cockpit with a large central touchscreen displaying a navigation route while the driver rests hands on the wheel.

Tesla FSD Supervised Wins Approval in Croatia, Now Eighth Country in Europe

Tesla Europe said Tuesday that FSD Supervised has been approved in Croatia, making it the eighth European country to clear the driver assistance software, with rollout set to begin soon. Croatia joins seven other European countries that have already signed off on the system. The Netherlands was first in April 2026, when Dutch regulator RDW...
Tesla FSD Automatic Collision Evasion release notes on Model Y screen

Tesla Shows FSD Automatic Collision Evasion in Action

Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature has been captured in one of its first public real-world recordings, showing Full Self-Driving automatically correcting course and returning control to FSD when a driver was about to hit a curb. The video comes from Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08), who shared his experience after the feature activated during a drive. […]
Family sits around a campfire in a mountain campsite at dusk, with Starlink branding on the left and a bold black advertising panel on the right lacing Kazakh and Russian text.

Starlink Mobile Launches in Kazakhstan With Beeline

Starlink Mobile is now available in Kazakhstan through Beeline, bringing satellite-to-phone connectivity to compatible devices when cellular coverage is unavailable and expanding Starlink’s reach into Central Asia. The new service uses Starlink’s Direct to Cell technology, allowing ordinary smartphones to connect to satellites without requiring a dedicated satellite phone, antenna, or additional equipment. The connection […]
A Starlink V3 satellite deploying from Starship's payload bay during Flight 14 (SpaceX broadcast)

SpaceX Deploys 26 Starlink V3 Satellites From Starship Flight 14

SpaceX has deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites from Starship Flight 14, marking the first time its next-generation satellites have entered operational orbit and joined the Starlink constellation. "Payload deploy complete. All 26 @Starlink V3 satellites are in orbit," SpaceX said after deployment. The company later confirmed that the Starlink team had established contact with all...