SpaceX moves to keep Chinese nationals, parts out of supply chain

Good news!

I blogged here yesterday that President Trump asked the federal government to do similar things.

Exclusive: SpaceX moves to keep Chinese nationals, parts out of supply chain - Nikkei Asia (behind paywall) "Industry leader aims to insulate US space program from China influence"

Elon Musk’s Boring Company reportedly raising funding at a $20 billion valuation up from $5.7 billion in 2022

What boring good news! 😊 Elon Musk, the man with a Midas Touch/drill or Tunnel Vision? Just kidding!

"Elon Musk’s tunneling startup The Boring Company is in talks to raise a $4 billion funding round at a valuation of $20 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The deal hasn’t closed and the terms could change, the WSJ says. At $20 billion, the valuation would be a significant increase from The Boring Company’s $5.7 billion valuation in 2022. ..."

Elon Musk’s Boring Company reportedly raising funding at a $20 billion valuation | TechCrunch

Source

From Musk to Truth Social: Critics say the 46th President's SEC targeted Trump's allies

The 46th President was a lousy one! May he rest in hell and may the Dimocratic Party be damned for a long time for allowing this to happen!

"On January 14, 2025, just six days before President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second, non-consecutive term, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against billionaire Elon Musk, who was entering the administration with Trump as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). ...

After the purchase [of Twitter in 2022], Musk’s other companies, SpaceX and Tesla, were also investigated by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Musk himself warned this would happen after he announced he would no longer vote Democrat. ...

Trump himself has faced the SEC recently – also under the [46th President] administration – when his Truth Social media platform began a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC). When the merger was announced, the SEC began investigating, and a federal grand jury in New York issued subpoenas for DWAC’s board of directors, arguably causing the company’s stock price to drop. The merger was slow-walked, alleges Truth Social. ..."

From Musk to Truth Social: Critics say Biden's SEC targeted Trump's allies | Just The News "Republicans have warned for years that the Biden-era Securities and Exchange Commission had been weaponized against Trump and his allies."

SpaceX launched the first nuclear-powered commercial satellite

Good news!

"SpaceX launched the first nuclear-powered commercial satellite, built by Florida-based City Labs, aboard a Falcon 9 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California."

"City Labs today announced that its BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability) satellite, the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite and first nuclear CubeSat, has been officially manifested aboard SpaceX Transporter-17, a rideshare mission launched today.

The BOHR mission demonstrates City Labs’ proprietary NanoTritium™ betavoltaic technology in orbit as a dedicated payload power source, providing continuous, long-duration electrical power independent of solar energy. This milestone establishes a new class of spacecraft capabilities, enabling persistent operation of critical subsystems where traditional power systems fall short. This includes deep space, permanently shadowed lunar regions, and long-duration autonomous sensor networks.

The BOHR spacecraft utilizes conventional solar power for satellite bus operations, while the NanoTritium™  system is used to power and validate the payload demonstration. ..."

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Join The Flyover

SpaceX just launched the 1st-ever nuclear-powered commercial satellite "Who needs solar power anyway?" [???]

City Labs Launches World’s First Commercial Nuclear-Powered Satellite Aboard SpaceX Transporter-17 (original news release)

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell pledges shares to new Trump Accounts for more than 2 million children

This lady shoots well! 😊 A nice example of American philanthropism!

"SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Monday she would donate a portion of her company stock to Trump Accounts for more than 2 million children in areas with lower average household income. 

The effort will place “a bit more emphasis” on children, between 11 and 17 years old, who live near her central Texas home, Shotwell wrote on X. "

SpaceX president pledges shares to new Trump Accounts

Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, speaks during a bell ringing ceremony for the IPO of SpaceX at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, Friday, June 12, 2026, in New York. 

Current Forbes profile

Her X post

Investing in an Israeli underground warfare startup

Let private businesses handle terrorists? An Israeli approach! Very boring! 😊

"... The startup produces engineering components and digging machines for use against terrorist tunnels and underground military bases. The Israeli company, Traysar, which employs former employees of Elon Musk’s The Boring Company, ..."

Anduril founders invest in Israeli underground warfare startup - Globes "Traysar, which has developed machines for use against terrorist tunnels and underground installations, has raised $25 million."

Source

SpaceX has lofted about 5 times more satellites than anyone else or more thane everyone else combined in history

Elon Musk never ceases to amaze me! Bravo!

P.S. There is some confusion/ambiguity about the statement! My guess is that Musk meant to say five times more than any other organisation.

Elon Musk: "Within ~5 years, probably ~5 times as many satellites as rest of world"

"Elon Musk's company has now lofted more spacecraft than the rest of humanity combined — and its lead is likely to grow over the coming months and years.

Investor and former space-industry executive Christian Keil highlighted the achievement in a June 12 X post, which noted that SpaceX had launched 15,262 satellites as of that date. The combined total for all other companies and organizations since the dawn of the space age in 1957 was 15,138, according to Keil."

Launch monster: SpaceX has lofted more satellites than everyone else in history, combined | Space

Credits: Human Progress

Source

Elon Musk: We’ll launch self-driving technology in Israel soon

Good news! Let's get rid of steering wheels!

"... Musk said, "I’m a big fan of the entrepreneurship that comes from Israel. Israel is achieving amazing results relative to the size of its population and is definitely number 1 in the world. I take my hat off to Israel for its innovation." ..."

Elon Musk: We’ll launch self-driving technology in Israel soon - Globes "Musk did not visit Israel as planned but did address the International Smart Mobility Summit 2026 in Tel Aviv in a live video."

The Netherlands Vehicle Authority has become the first European regulator to approve Tesla’s supervised self-driving software

Good news! Dutch cyclists are not afraid of autonomous vehicles! 😊

"The Netherlands Vehicle Authority has become the first European regulator to approve Tesla’s supervised self-driving software, commenting that “Proper use of this driver assistance system makes a positive contribution to road safety.” Seems especially notable coming from the world’s foremost cycling nation."

"... RDW [Dutch vehicle authority] said in a statement on Friday, adding that it would also submit an application for the technology to be used throughout the EU.”"

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Tesla Supervised Self-Driving Software Gets Dutch Okay

Thanks to Starlink Argentina has now more than 2 million additional Internet users

Good news!

"In Argentina, where such a [government Internet] ban was recently lifted, two million people have connected to Starlink, many of whom live in remote areas of the country."

"“When Javier Milei became president of Argentina in December 2023, one his first measures as part of a package of wide-ranging deregulations was to open up the economy to satellite internet. ..."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Starlink Connects Millions of People in Argentina

Argentina Graph of the Day: Starlink Connects Millions of People

Tesla adds 'streaks,' other stats to track how often drivers use Full Self-Driving software

This article stinks! It does not say anything how many Tesla drivers are currently subscribed to this Full Service Driving software nor how many subscribers since introduction of FSD in lat 2020.

How often is e.g. this FSD actually engaged while driving a Tesla vehicle on public roads since 2020? Is this a secret?

"Tesla is rolling out a new self-driving app that makes it easier for owners to subscribe to its Full Self-Driving software and see statistics on how — and how often — they use it. The app will display information about FSD, including multi-day streaks, adding a gamified element to the driver assistance software. ..."

Tesla adds 'streaks,' other stats to track how often drivers use Full Self-Driving software | TechCrunch

The Trump administration covertly sent roughly 6,000 Starlink terminals into Iran after the regime’s crackdown on demonstrations last month

Bravo President Trump and Elon Musk! Good news! A force for good!

Will the Iranian people finally get rid of this theocratic dictatorship ruling this country since 1979! Mullahs be gone!

"The satellite-internet kits were an effort to keep dissidents online after Tehran stifled internet access. This was the first time the U.S. has directly sent Starlink into Iran. The State Department purchased nearly 7,000 Starlink terminals by diverting funds from other internet-freedom initiatives. Tehran has repeatedly accused the U.S., without evidence, of helping to foment popular dissent and organizing the demonstrations. Iranians were protesting economic mismanagement, a weakening currency and hard-line rule."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

The Liberty Bell of our time! "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof"

Grok undressed the mother of one of Elon Musk’s kids into a bikini — and now she’s suing

The many ways to make money!

P.S. I was not able to find this picture of her. 

"Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of X owner Elon Musk’s children, is suing his company for enabling its AI to virtually strip her down into a bikini without her consent. ..."

Grok undressed the mother of one of Elon Musk’s kids — and now she’s suing | The Verge

X offices raided in Paris, France, both Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino had been summoned

What is going on? Politically motivated?

"The French offices of Elon Musk's X have been raided by the Paris prosecutor's cyber-crime unit, as part of an investigation into suspected offences including unlawful data extraction and complicity in the possession of child pornography.

The prosecutor's office also said both Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino had been summoned to appear at hearings in April.

In a separate development, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced a probe into Musk's AI tool, Grok, over its "potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content." ...

The investigation began in January 2025 when French prosecutors started looking into content recommended by X's algorithm, before being widened in July that year to include Musk's controversial AI chatbot, Grok.

In a post at the time, X said the action was "politically-motivated" and denied allegations it had manipulated its algorithm.

Following today's raid, French prosecutors say they are now investigating whether X has broken the law across multiple areas. ..."

X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok

Credits: Polizei durchsucht Büro von X in Paris: Wenn Regulierung zu reiner Machtdemonstration verkommt

SpaceX unveils 'Stargaze' space satellite tracking system free of charge

Good news! It is crowded in low Earth orbit! Congestion in the sky!

"SpaceX today unveiled an online tool, called Stargaze, for tracking space objects and warning of potential on-orbit collisions — with a promise to provide the system’s space situational awareness (SSA) data free of charge to other satellite operators.

SpaceX recently faced a collision scare in December when a Chinese satellite nearby one of its Starlink communication birds made an unannounced maneuver. That and other near misses over the past year has prompted the company to lower some 4,400 Starlinks to about 480 kilometers where there is less congestion, in part because dead satellites and other debris falls out of orbit faster due to the stronger gravitational pull of the Earth. ..."

SpaceX unveils 'Stargaze' space tracking system - Breaking Defense "Stargaze, which will publish space monitoring data free of charge, uses startrackers carried on all Starlink satellites to calculate possible collisions in low Earth orbit, according to SpaceX."

SpaceX Stops Russia’s Unauthorised Use of Starlink in Ukraine

Absolutely stunning how one man can have so much influence on the outcome of a current war!

SpaceX seeks federal approval to launch 1 million solar-powered satellite data centers

Amazing stuff!

"SpaceX has filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission to launch a constellation of up to 1 million solar-powered satellites that it said will serve as data centers for artificial intelligence. ...

The FCC recently gave SpaceX permission to launch an additional 7,500 Starlink satellites, but said it would “defer authorization on the remaining 14,988” proposed satellites.

There are currently around man-made 15,000 satellites orbiting the Earth, according to the European Space Agency, and they’re already creating issues with pollution and debris. ..."

SpaceX seeks federal approval to launch 1 million solar-powered satellite data centers | TechCrunch

Russian Drones Using Starlink? Ukraine Raises Satellite War Tech Alarm with Palki Sharma

How difficult is it to keep Starlink out the hands of the Russian military?

Elon Musk’s Neuralink enters human trials as 21 patients receive brain implants

Good news! Amazing stuff!

How China is Challenging Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX with Palki Sharma

How serious is the copycat competition from China?