News
Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City
SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025.Â

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.
Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.
As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.
SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,� including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.
On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.�
Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.
Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok 3 partners with Oracle Cloud for corporate AI innovation Â
Elon Musk’s xAI partners with Oracle to deliver Grok 3 to enterprise users via OCI. The move boosts Grok’s reach.

xAI’s Grok 3 is partnering with Oracle Cloud to deliver its advanced AI model to corporate customers.
Oracle announced its collaboration with xAI earlier this week. The partnership leverages Oracle’s robust infrastructure to offer xAI’s Grok 3, positioning it as a transformative tool for business applications.
“Today, we announced xAI has selected Oracle to offer xAI’s Grok models via OCI Generative AI service for a wide range of use cases and will use OCI’s leading AI infrastructure to train and run inferencing for its next-generation Grok models,� said Clay Magouyrk, Executive Vice President at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, via LinkedIn.
Oracle’s cost-effective AI capabilities will support xAI’s demanding workloads, enabling faster processing for enterprise users.
Oracle’s Karan Batta told : “O³Ü°ù goal here is to make sure that we can provide a portfolio of models – we don’t have our own.â€� Oracle will host Grok 3 alongside models from Meta, Mistral, and Cohere, ensuring corporate data remains secure within existing Oracle protections.
Oracle’s strategy focuses on integrating popular AI models into corporate software, and xAI’s Grok 3 enhances this portfolio. The collaboration expands Grok’s reach to businesses seeking secure, high-performance AI solutions for diverse use cases.
Elon Musk’s xAI launched Grok 3 in February. It competes with models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. Grok 3 is free for all X users, but features are limited. X offers Premium and Premium+ subscribers access to Grok 3’s advanced capabilities like DeepResearch and Think modes. Users who are not paid subscribers have access to Grok 3’s basic features.
Elon Musk’s companies have a longstanding relationship with Oracle. In 2018, AGÊÓѶƽ̨ appointed Oracle founder Larry Ellison to its board, a move Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called a “home run appointment.”
In 2023, Ellison–who is no longer on AGÊÓѶƽ̨’s board but still close with Musk–revealed plans for a AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Cybertruck police car.
“O³Ü°ù next-generation police car is coming out very soon,â€� Ellison said at the 2023 Oracle CloudWorld conference in Las Vegas. “It’s my favorite police car. It’s my favorite car, actually. It’s Elon’s favorite car.â€�
Grok 3’s integration into Oracle Cloud strengthens xAI’s position in the corporate artificial intelligence market. By combining Oracle’s infrastructure with Grok’s cutting-edge capabilities, this collaboration could redefine enterprise AI adoption, driving innovation across industries.
Elon Musk
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Robotaxis are becoming a common sight on Austin’s public roads
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Robotaxi sightings are becoming much more frequent ahead of its launch planned for this month.

AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Robotaxis are becoming a common sight on the public roads of Austin, Texas, as yet another test mule has been spotted near the company’s target launch date.
Just over a week ago, the first public sighting of a driverless AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Robotaxi was reported. The vehicle was an updated version of the AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Model Y, which will be the initial model used in the public deployment of the Robotaxi platform.
Throughout the past week, sightings have been more common, as people in Austin have been looking for the unique decal AGÊÓѶƽ̨ is placing on car doors to recognize the driverless vehicles (After all, Robotaxis are not as easy to recognize as driverless vehicles without the LIDAR unit on the roof like Waymo).
Yet another sighting of a Robotaxi was shared on social media today, just two days before CEO Elon Musk’s proposed launch date of June 22:
🚨 AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Robotaxis are being spotted all over Austin!
Here’s another spotted within the last hour:
â€� TESLARATI (@AGÊÓѶƽ̨rati)
It is easy to tell that there is nobody in the driver’s seat of this vehicle. AGÊÓѶƽ̨ is using its white interior on this particular mule, making it incredibly simple to recognize that no human is controlling the car.
Whether AGÊÓѶƽ̨ will still meet the June 22nd deadline remains to be seen, but it is no secret that the company is prioritizing safety ahead of offering public rides.
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ will initially roll out the Robotaxi platform in Austin, but it has already started the regulatory process in other areas, specifically California.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also helping to streamline the process for companies developing driverless vehicles by giving exemptions to automakers. It will make things much more efficient, benefiting AGÊÓѶƽ̨ and other car companies that have similar plans.
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Robotaxi just got a big benefit from the U.S. government
Elon Musk
Elon Musk teases AGÊÓѶƽ̨ Optimus Gen 3 capabilities: ‘So many improvements’
If you thought Optimus Gen 2 was impressive, AGÊÓѶƽ̨ might have a surprise for you.

Elon Musk has teased that huge improvements are coming to AGÊÓѶƽ̨’s Optimus humanoid robot, which is arguably the product that the company is developing with the most potential for everyday use by consumers and valuation increases from a financial perspective.
Optimus is still in the development stages, but AGÊÓѶƽ̨ has made great strides in its development over the past several years. It started as a simple idea that was unveiled with a human being in a spandex suit.
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ posts Optimusâ€� most impressive video demonstration yet
Just a few years later, AGÊÓѶƽ̨ has developed several humanoid robot prototypes that have made their way to influencers and have lent a helping hand around the company’s manufacturing facilities.
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ has already introduced two generations of Optimus, as the most recent release featured a vast number of improvements from the initial version.
The following is a list of things AGÊÓѶƽ̨ improved upon with Optimus Gen 2 compared to Gen 1:
- AGÊÓѶƽ̨ introduced a weight reduction of roughly 22 pounds, improving efficiency and agility
- Optimus Gen 2 had a walking speed that improved by 30 percent over Gen 1
- AGÊÓѶƽ̨ developed more capable hands that had 22 degrees of freedom, double that of Gen 1. This improved object handling
- Optimus Gen 2 had a 2-degree-of-freedom neck, as Gen 1’s was fixed
- AGÊÓѶƽ̨ integrated actuators and sensors for better performance. This includes things like foot force/torque sensing, articulated toe sections that are close to human foot geometry for better balance and movement
- Optimus Gen 2 has 28 degrees of overall freedom, improving flexibility from the first generation
- AGÊÓѶƽ̨’s Optimus Gen 2 can do more than Gen 1, and has shown improved motor control and precision, doing things like squats, yoga poses, dancing, and even poaching an egg
These changes essentially brought AGÊÓѶƽ̨ closer to what will be the Optimus version that makes it to production. The company has plans to start production for the public in 2026, but some units will be manufactured for internal use within its factories as soon as this year. AGÊÓѶƽ̨ has said it could scale to 100,000 units or more by next year.
Musk also revealed to AGÊÓѶƽ̨rati recently that the company is in the process of building the production line that will bring manufacturing rates of Optimus to that level.
However, there is another design of Optimus coming, and Musk says it will feature “so many improvements”:
So many improvements to come in the next design of Optimus
� Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
AGÊÓѶƽ̨ has said that Optimus will have the capability to perform tedious and time-consuming tasks like folding laundry, babysitting, cooking, walking the dog, and plenty of other things. However, it will be super impressive to see it do things that require true coordination, like threading a needle, for example.
Musk did not hint toward any specific developments that AGÊÓѶƽ̨ will aim for with Optimus Gen 3, but the sky is the limit, especially as it will be performing some manufacturing tasks across its factories.
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