Elon Musk Celebrates: Starlink Satellite Landmark Tweet, Boring Company LV Tunnel Progress and Tesla Snags Model 3 Award

Tweeting from Space – Starlink Makes Significant Strides

Elon Musk just posted from his twitter using a SpaceX launched Starlink satellite. The message, which could be seen by his 28.8 million followers highlights the steps towards making space-based internet service a real possibility on Earth. Perhaps this will be like Edison’s “Watson come here I want to see you”. Seems like “Whoa, it worked”, would be more appropriate in both cases!

The Starlink project has been set in motion and is making good progress in launching a network of broadband satellites to provide connectivity globally, most notably to include areas that lack reliable access to high speed internet connection. The first part of the internet network launched May 2019, deploying 60 Starlink satellites.

SpaceX has recently made a request of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to launch an additional 30,000 satellites into orbit (bringing the total to 42,000), which is a significant hike from the previously planned number of 12,000 already approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Convention Center Loop Project in Full Construction Phase

The contract between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Board of Directors and The Boring Company to design and construct a twin-tunnel loop system for the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) has entered its full construction phase.

Currently, it’s on schedule to be refined and ready for the Consumer Electronics Show at LVCC in 2021. Upon completion, the LVCC Loop will provide fast and convenient transportation for convention attendees across the campus through autonomous electric vehicles (AEVs), like Tesla Model X and Model 3 vehicles, at up to 155 miles per hour. Essentially, this shortens a typical 15 minute walk time to as little as 1 minute via the loop transportation system.

Another interesting feature of the site is its ground-level passenger stations, which are designed without elevators. This means that although there won’t be any elevators transporting the AEVs up and down as they transport people, therefore the LVCC loop itself should be much more efficient to build.

Additionally, although The Boring Company has been quite transparent about their project details, what they’ve left up to speculation is the kind of tunnel boring machine (TBM) they’ll actually be using to dig the tunnels. So far, the TBM in question has been transported to the site in segments, so its full assembled identity lies in wait. Will it be a Godot, a conventional TBM tested at Hawthorne, a Line-Storm, a super-fast, hybrid TBM that Musk previously teased us about, or a Prufrock, a noiseless, electrically powered TBM with zero carbon emissions?

Tesla is UK the Car of the Year

Tesla Model 3, the electric, four-door sedan is the most affordable of the Tesla electric vehicles, and it’s recently won four awards from the Parkers Car Price Guide, a well known automative magazine in the UK for “Car of the Year”, “Best Electric Car”, “Best Company Car” and “Best Safety” Award for any vehicle on the market.” Musk recently retweeted about the award. 

Despite lots of (questionable) negative stories in the media, Elon Musk and his various companies and projects continue to amaze, amuse and innovate as the 3 mini-stories above clearly show. Stay tuned for more on these and other Musk projects soon.

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