ELON CHRON: Your 24hr Musk Companies Update (Patreon)

24th of February, 2025

"We are on the event horizon of the singularity..." - Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

■ TESLA $TSLA ($330.53, -2.15%):

- Per Tesla China's Grace Tao Lin, "The all-new Model Y is about to be delivered! Limited Launch Edition orders must be placed before February 28th. Don’t miss the limited-time surprise." Tesla Europe has already removed the Launch Edition from their website.

- The Tesla Model 3 Performance won the "Best Urban Electric Vehicle Under $100K" by Drive.com.au. Judges praised its "razor-sharp handling and scintillating acceleration," noting that despite a firm ride, it offers "levels of refinement and cohesion rarely found at this price point." The award was handed out at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse as part of the Drive Car of the Year awards. "The Model 3 is so far ahead of its rivals on value, space, performance, comfort, technology, efficiency and charging that the vote in this category was not a difficult one. The competition will need to seriously up its game if it wants to claim the crown from the Model 3." H/T Sawyer (@SawyerMerritt). Subscribe to Sawyer!

- Tesla has started using real pictures again for their used inventory. H/T TechTonik (@TechTonik808).

- Energy Solutions Group introduced their first operational battery energy storage system in the Netherlands. This 15MW/30MWh Megapack site is located alongside their Solar Park in Sellingen, Netherlands.

- The Ride The Lightning podcast by IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) interviewed Tesla's VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy (@larsmoravy). Lots of great info revealed. Here are the highlights (links to the podcast are in the sources section):

• Tesla is planning to refresh the Model S and X by late 2025! "Just give it a minute; we’ll get there… we’re going to show those cars some love. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon." Details on specific changes remain undisclosed.

• Lars on the Roadster saying, "Oh it is definitely real. We're working with SpaceX on that now; Cold gas thrusters are super cool and they add a certain level of breaking the laws of motors physics. I promise you it (the new Roadster) will come out; I last worked on it this past Tuesday."

• On the Model Y not having 48V architecture, "We will in time; When you're talking about that many units a week, it's a lot of supply chain to bring up; We are beholden at some rate to our supply basis capabilities; We will get all our cars to 48 volts; We're trying to manage that supply chain."

• Lars stated this about the Cybercab and paint injection, "You inject the polyurethane paint at the same time that you make the plastic panels. There's no paint shop with that vehicle. We put the colors in when we make the panels. That's it. If you want to repair it, it's just basically paint." This eliminates expensive and time consuming process. Cybercab will be cheaper and easier to build/repair because of this.

- Supercharges, Tesla Stores, and vehicles are now the targets of far Left activists. Stories and pics are popping up everywhere. Yesterday, Tesla had enough and posted, "Will be removed by tomorrow morning. Our network will stay in first class condition for our customers. We will press charges for vandalism at Superchargers." Tesla is responding quickly to repair and clean up the vandalized stalls. Make sure you have plenty of space on your drives and Sentry Mode is on.

- Tesla Takeover Asia looked wild! Love this light show! John (@teslaownersSV), Daren (@darenyoong), and the whole Tesla Takeover Asia (@TeslaTakeoverAP) team did an amazing job!

- Tesla is preparing to launch a software update in China with an introduction to FSD. It is priced at RMB 64,000 ($8,830). The update is expected to deploy in batches within the next few days.

- Progress pics of the new Tesla Center in Oakleigh, a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Pic provided by BNE Electrical Solutions. "We’re in the final testing and commissioning phase! Stay tuned for the big reveal of the completed project. It’s been an incredible journey to be a part of—can’t wait to share the results with you!"

- We have new progress pics of the Tesla Diner from AL Set (@AlSet51241438). The Solar Cyber-Canopies are being installed. A small area for pets with baggies and trash can. Slowly, but surely, on this Diner.

FLYOVERS (flight links in sources section):

• Giga Texas: Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer), 24th of February, '25. Joe spotted more Cybercab testing, but this time something was different. It has a steering wheel and a driver! Subscribe to Joe!

• Giga Texas: Brad Sloan, 23rd of February, '25.

■ SPACEX:

- Elon has announced Flight 8 will be this Friday, the 28th! Pic of the HQ at Starbase taken yesterday by Carlos, the Starbase Surfer (@cnunezimages). Subscribe to Carlos!

Both support ships used to recover what will be left of Starship 34 have left port and are in the Indian Ocean moving into position for Friday's launch. Mary (@BocaChicaGal) spotted the Flight Termination System install sign posted on Mega Bay 2.

The Booster Transport Stand has rolled into Mega Bay 1. Though there are no notices for road closures from the production site to the pad. And at Pad B the Booster Quick Disconnect gantry is being built. And as of this post, 3 A-frames and joining cross-beams are in place for the what I assume the new OLM area!

But guess what, the FAA has not approved the flight with only 4 days to go! I'm sure they will. SpaceX is working with the FAA to close the Flight 7 mishap investigation and/or receive a flight safety determination along with the license authorization.

- On the Saturday, Air Force Master Sgt. Eric Burks reenlisted at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as SpaceX's Falcon 9 Starlink 15-1 launched into low Earth orbit. The dramatic reenlistment photo, taken with Maj. Kelsey Tarver administering the oath and an American flag in the background, was captured by the base’s public affairs team during the mission supported by both Air Force and Space Force personnel.

- The launch 24 of Falcon 9 Starlink 15-1 took place from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This is the 11th flight for the first stage booster. It previously launched USSF-62, OneWeb Launch 20, and eight Starlink missions. The booster landed on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. 22 Starlinks were deployed. SpaceX’s Starlink Group 15 missions are the first dedicated launch of v2 Mini satellites into the 70-degree inclination orbit. It was initially populated with v1.5 satellites in 2023 via Group 2 missions.

- SpaceX posted a recap video and update on their website for Launch 7. Two minutes into flight Starship 33 experienced a flash near a Raptor vacuum engine, followed by a detected pressure rise indicating a leak. Two minutes later, another flash and sustained fires in the attic led to all but one engine shutting down, with telemetry lost at 8 minutes and 20 seconds. Contact was lost before the Autonomous Flight Safety System triggered, though it later activated during descent, causing breakup three minutes after communication ceased.

Post-flight analysis points to a harmonic response—stronger than test conditions—stressing the propulsion system, causing propellant leaks and fires. Debris landed within the planned area, with no hazardous materials or significant environmental impact, and SpaceX coordinated cleanup with Turks and Caicos and the UK governments.

- NASA awarded SpaceX a $100 million firm fixed-price launch service task order Friday for the NEO Surveyor mission. The mission features a 50-centimeter diameter infrared telescope to detect bright and dark asteroids and will be part of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office efforts to identify potentially hazardous near-Earth objects within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. It will be managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Kennedy Space Center, with support from BAE Systems, Space Dynamics Laboratory, Teledyne, the University of Colorado, and Caltech. The Falcon 9 launch is targeting no earlier than September 2027.

- Kathy Lueders attended the 3rd annual RGV E-Week Gala hosted by Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in the Rio Grande Valley. The event showcased 47 engineering scholarships and focused on Future Flights of the Starship program.

- This past Friday, SpaceX released an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) stating that Falcon 9 rocket booster landings in The Bahamas’ Exuma Sound would not significantly affect marine life, air quality, or water pollution. The Bahamas have 19 more planned. Activists are demanding a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), arguing the EMP lacks the comprehensive risk analysis and stakeholder input an EIA provides.

Countdown to 180 (23 - Falcon 9, 0 - Falcon Heavy, and 1 - Starship):

• Launch 25! Monday, 24th of February, at 11:26 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 Starlink 12-13 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

• Launch 26! Wednesday, 26th of February, at 7:17 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 Nova-C IM-2 & Lunar Trailblazer will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The booster will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This is the second mission of Nova-C lunar lander developed and built by Intuitive Machines. This time it carries a NASA payload called PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1), which is to be the first demonstration of in-situ resource utilization on the Moon. PRIME-1 consists of two instruments: TRIDENT drill and Msolo mass spectrometer.

• Launch 27! Thursday, 27th of February, at 9:52 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 Starlink 12-20 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

• Launch 28! Friday, 28th of February, at 5:30 p.m. CT, Starship 34 Super Heavy Booster 15 (Flight 8) will launch from Orbital Launch Mount A at SpaceX Starbase, Texas. The booster will return to the launch site and caught by the Tower A. Starship 34 will do a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

• Launch 29! Friday, 28th of February, at 7:10 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 SPHEREx & PUNCH will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The booster will return to Vandenberg and land at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4).

• SPHEREx is a planned two-year astrophysics mission that will survey the sky in near-infrared light to explore the origins of the universe and the evolution of galaxies, while also searching for water and organic molecules in stellar nurseries and planet-forming disks around stars. It aims to collect data on over 300 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars within our Milky Way, providing insights into the conditions necessary for life.

• NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) consists of four suitcase-sized satellites, which will focus on the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) and how it generates the solar wind. The spacecraft also will track coronal mass ejections – large eruptions of solar material that can drive large space weather events near Earth – to better understand their evolution and develop new techniques for predicting such eruptions.

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■ THE BORING COMPANY:

- Friday evening, Shreyash Karandikar (@shreyashk2012) got to attend The Boring Company's Open House event in Las Vegas. "Had a great time in Las Vegas with The Boring Company! Got the chance to experience what they’ve built and learn about their mission. Also got to see the tech used by Tesla drivers when traveling through the tunnels. TBC team topped it off with some awesome SWAG!"

- Jordan Hanna was also invited to the Open House. "The The Boring Company is changing the way that we know travel. Me and James Odom had the opportunity to check out a fraction of the subterranean infrastructure going into Vegas. Thanks to TBC for for the invite and inspiring message."

■ NEURALINK:

- This is Rob. Rob is one of Neuralink's amazing field engineers who has worked with P1, P2, and P3! Be like Rob... Pic by Neuralink's Romina Nejad (@RominaNejad).

- After 1,000 U.S. FDA employees were cut last week, roughly 300 have been asked to return. 11 are from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, which oversees medical device reviews. 20 are from the office of neurological and physical medicine devices.

■ STARLINK:

- Reuters reported that the US has threatened to shut off Starlink if Ukraine does not sign certain minerals deal. Per Elon, "This is false. Reuters is lying. They are second only to AP (Associated Propaganda) as legacy news liars." Starlink also posted that they are fully committed to providing service to Ukraine, and any rumors to the contrary are categorically false.

- Poland announced the purchase of 11,000 Starlink terminals for Ukraine and that they will cover the subscription costs.

- The Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) announced Chile has become the first country in Hispanic America to successfully conduct a technical test of satellite SMS using Starlink’s Direct to Cell. The test was conducted by SpaceX and Entel and took place in Concón, a coastal town northwest of Santiago. Authorities sent an SMS directly via satellite without relying on traditional cell towers. Per Claudio Araya, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, "This test positions Chile at the forefront of telecommunications innovation in the region, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring connectivity for all."

- Per the Nigerian Communications Commission, Starlink has surpassed FiberOne Broadband to become Nigeria’s second-largest ISP with 65,564 subscribers by Q3 2024. Spectranet remains the leader with 105,441 subscribers.

- SpaceX will have a Starlink exhibit at the at MWC Barcelona 2025 convention at the Fira Gran Via from the 3rd - 6th of March. Go check them out in Hall 3, Stand OA3B.20.

- Per Jon Grote of Frontier Networking, "We live in an extremely rural area of Northern Michigan. For the past 4 years, Starlink has been our best available internet option. Combined with Cellular as a back up in my Peplink Balance 310X, our home internet is the best in the area."

- Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, has invited Elon to launch Starlink in the country. Per Yunus, "Let us work together to deliver our mutual vision for a better future. Integrating Starlink's connectivity into Bangladesh's infrastructure will have a transformational impact, particularly for Bangladesh's enterprising youth, rural and vulnerable women, and remote and underserved communities." Yunus, a Nobel laureate, met with Elon a week ago in New York to discuss investment opportunities.

- Yingling Aviation has installed their first Starlink Aviation onboard a Bombardier Global airframe. Per Josh Peterson of Yingling, "We’re excited to offer Starlink as a connectivity solution for our customers. This installation underscores our commitment to providing cutting-edge technology and top-tier service. With Starlink, operators can now enjoy high-speed internet without the limitations of traditional satellite systems."

- SpaceX's Sara Spangelo (@sara_spangelo) announced she is leaving SpaceX to transition into a nuclear energy role at another company. Her background at Swarm contributed to the success of Starlink's Direct to Cell program.

■ X:

- X CEO Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) with the Los Angeles X team. "Would sit in traffic for team LA𝕏 any day!"

- X Business announced the integration of Grok into its advertising platform. "Prefill with Grok" and "Analyze Campaign with Grok" features help brands generate ad copy, imagery, and CTAs from a website URL. They analyze campaign performance. This will be a a phased rollout. There will be an upcoming “Quick Promote” feature as well.

Per X's Sid Rao (@sidgrao), "Starting to roll out Grok powered X Ads interface. Grok can now create beautiful ads, analyze your campaign performance, and recommend improvements, all within your X ads interface. Rolling out to all SMBs using X ads today!"

- X Japan CEO Ayumu Matsuyama (@ayumu_matsuyama) will be giving a talk at the Tokyo Big Sight next week on the 26th at 3:30 p.m. local time. He will share about X and Grok 3. "I'll use Grok to brush up my Edo accent and post it!"

■ xAI:

- Grok Voice beta is now available for everyone on iOS. It includes Ara (upbeat female) and Rex (calm male) are the voice options for Grok. The personalities options are; Best Friend ("badass best friend" to "shoot the shit"), Unhinged ("witty and based AF"), Genius (Carl Sagan-inspired), Romantic ("unhinged and raunchy"), Stoner ("soooo high man, massive bong rip"). Still no word on when Android users will get the app.

- I reported a few weeks ago that xAI via X had a location in Atlanta with the intentions of building a data center. It is now being reported that they built it with 12,448 Nvidia GPUs, including 11,000 H100s and 448 A100s, backed by a $700 million investment in chips and cables. It should be the QTS facility at roughly 150,000 sq ft.

■ DOGE:

- 'What did you do last week?' The above email was sent to federal employees with a deadline to respond at noon today. Per Elon, "The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all! In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks. In other words, there is outright fraud."

- Per Elon, "We are increasingly optimistic that, as the immense waste & fraud are eliminated from Social Security & Medical that there is potential to increase actual dollars received by citizens & better healthcare!"

- The DOGE General Service Administration account (@DOGE_GSA) posted details on the termination of a $217 million, 23-year contract with Ameresco Inc. for energy conservation measures across 25 buildings. This was managed by the U.S. Department of Defense under Product Service Code 5413 (special studies and analysis in building technology). This resulted in recorded savings of approximately $40 million.

- DOGE reported today that the General Services Administration (GSA), with 13,000 employees, holds 37,000 WinZip licenses, 19,000 training software subscriptions across multiple platforms, 7,500 project management software seats for a 5,500-employee division, and operates three parallel ticketing systems, many of which are unused.

■ ELON NEWS:

- Elon employs a 20-person security team costing over $500,000 annually. On Saturday the 22nd, the U.S. Marshals Service deputized members of his private security detail, granting them federal law enforcement rights to carry weapons in federal buildings, use deadly force, and receive government coverage, amid Elon's role leading DOGE. There have been an extreme increase in death threats.

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Have a great day!

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■ SOURCES:

FLYOVERS:

• Giga Texas: Joe Tegtmeyer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apasEsVr8Ck

• Giga Texas: Brad Sloan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHBVvzl1tiY

• Giga

Ride the Lightning Podcast:

• iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ride-the-lightning-tesla-motors-unofficial-podcast/id1025399574

• Web link: https://teslapodcast.libsyn.com/episode-499-special-guest-tesla-engineering-vp-lars-moravy

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6VWwW4Sb1CSqbAxSo68Lds

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPFgMHvSkMg

Tesla:

• https://cnevpost.com/2025/02/24/tesla-prepares-roll-out-fsd-china-report/

SpaceX:

• Flight 7 Recap: https://www.spacex.com/updates/#flight-7-report

• https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-photo-rocket/

• https://www.tribune242.com/news/2025/feb/24/environmental-management-plan-released-two-days-after-launch-as-activists-call-for-the-eia/?news

Neuralink:

• https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fda-asks-fired-scientists-return-including-some-reviewing-musks-neuralink-2025-02-22/

Starlink:

• https://technext24.com/2025/02/24/starlink-displaces-fiberone-be-2nd-isp/#google_vignette

• https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/yunus-wants-starlink-for-bangladesh-invites-musk/

• https://skiesmag.com/press-releases/yingling-aviation-completes-first-starlink-installation-on-a-bombardier-global/

X:

• https://x.com/XBusiness/status/1893047658958463094

xAI:

• https://www.businessinsider.com/xai-elon-musk-x-new-atlanta-data-center-2025-2

Elon News:

• Elon Quote: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1893810875875889507

• https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/politics/video/elon-musk-security-detail-digvid