Archived board for Oct 26, 2026. See today's board.
TenSpoke · Today · Monday, Oct 26, 2026
Musk says SpaceX closed its $40B AI chip loan, and Starship's next booster fired all 33 engines.
Musk posted on Oct 25 that SpaceX closed $40B of debt to buy AI chips arriving early next year, though the final terms are not public yet. Booster 22 finished a full-length engine test for Flight 15, Latvia became the 10th EU country to approve Tesla's supervised driving software, and Cybercabs carried Grand Prix fans in Austin.
The daily context behind $TSLA and $SPCX, in plain English.
Today in 30 seconds
- Musk says SpaceX closed $40B of debt to buy AI chips.
- Starship's Flight 15 booster fired all 33 engines in a full-length test.
- Latvia approves Tesla's supervised driving software, the 10th EU country.
Words used on this page, explained
- GPU
- The powerful computer chips that train and run AI.
- callable debt
- A loan the borrower is allowed to pay back early.
- neocloud
- A company whose main business is renting out AI computing power.
- static fire
- A test where the rocket lights its engines while held down on the pad.
- FSD (Supervised)
- Tesla's driver-assist software for customer cars; a driver must watch the road at all times. In Europe it is called Tesla Assisted Driving.
- Starshield
- The military version of Starlink, sold to governments.
01What's new today
The freshest updates first, each with what is still unknown and which bet it moves.
Musk says SpaceX closed $40B of debt to buy AI chips
On Oct 25, Musk posted that "SpaceX closed $40B of debt for GPUs, but we're investment grade and have Starlink & launch," and added that it is "primarily callable debt for GPU purchases that will arrive in Q1 and Q2."
Read more
Callable means SpaceX can pay the loan back early. Musk said the money is "not a major factor this quarter," that lenders have "almost entirely shut off access to money for any company that doesn't have substantial revenue independent of AI data centers," and that "SpaceX is not buying any neoclouds" (companies that only rent out AI computing). Reuters said it was not clear what "closed" meant or whether pricing was set, and the interest rate has not been made public. Bloomberg had reported on Oct 23 that pricing talks reopened. What it means: if the terms hold, the chips for next year's data center growth are paid for, and Starlink and launch revenue are what made lenders comfortable.
Affects: Bet 03 AI data centers · Spoke: Super Intelligence
Source: Elon Musk on X, Oct 25, 2026; Elon Musk on X, Oct 25, 2026; Reuters via Investing.com, Oct 25, 2026
Starship's Flight 15 booster fired all 33 engines in a full-length test
SpaceX said on Oct 25 that it finished a "full duration 33-engine static fire for the Super Heavy booster preparing for Flight 15," a test where the engines light while the booster is held down on the pad.
Read more
Observers identified the vehicle as Booster 22 on Launch Pad 2, with ignition at about 8:22 AM CT (Spaceflight News). After the last two campaigns, launch came about two to four weeks after this test. Still to come: Ship 42's own static fire and the FAA launch license. Flight 15 is no earlier than Nov 8 and could try to catch both the booster and the ship with the tower. What it means: one of the last big ground checks is done, which keeps a November flight on the table.
Affects: Bet 04 Starship · Spoke: Starship
Source: SpaceX on X, Oct 25, 2026; Spaceflight News, Oct 25, 2026
Latvia approves Tesla's supervised driving software, the 10th EU country
Tesla Europe posted on Oct 26 that its driving software is "Now approved in Latvia. Rollout begins soon."
Read more
Latvia's road safety agency, CSDD, recognized the earlier Dutch approval rather than running its own (BB.LV). In Europe the software is called Tesla Assisted Driving, and it is a driver-assist system, so the driver must keep watching the road. Slovakia was the ninth country on Oct 16. Still unknown: when the rollout starts. A Europe-wide approval is still pending, with an EU vote expected in December.
Affects: Bet 08 Robotaxi · Spoke: FSD + Robotaxi
Source: Tesla Europe on X, Oct 26, 2026; BB.LV, Oct 26, 2026
Cybercabs carried Grand Prix fans in Austin, and fan trackers logged a record day
Tesla's Cybercabs dropped off riders at Circuit of the Americas for the US Grand Prix on Oct 25, and Tesla AI software VP Ashok Elluswamy posted "Robotaxis as far as the eye can see!"
Read more
Reported: Cybercab Spotter, a fan account that collects sightings, counted 1,250 Cybercab sightings in Austin on Oct 24, 1,159 with nobody in the driver's seat, both records (EV). Those are crowd-sourced sightings, not ride counts, and Tesla has not said how many race rides it gave. The Texas Robotaxi list is unchanged at 970 vehicles (Robotaxi Pulse). What it means: a big crowd event is a real-world stress test, but Tesla still does not publish the numbers that would show how it went.
Affects: Bet 08 Robotaxi · Spoke: FSD + Robotaxi
Source: EV (eletric-vehicles.com), Oct 25, 2026; Robotaxi Pulse (Texas DMV lists), Oct 26, 2026
Musk says Grok's agent app can now make phone calls for you
On Oct 25, Musk posted that "Grok @Bot can now call someone or a business for you, make a request on your behalf, take notes on the response and send you a note summarizing the conversation!"
Read more
The official changelog did not list the feature yet when we checked on Oct 26; its newest entry is v0.75.5 from Oct 23. No user or revenue numbers came with the post. What it means: handling calls and errands is the kind of everyday task that could turn an AI helper into something people pay for each month.
Affects: Bet 06 Grok and X · Spoke: Super Intelligence
Source: Elon Musk on X, Oct 25, 2026; SpaceXSI changelog, checked Oct 26, 2026
Aer Lingus now has free Starlink Wi-Fi on all its long-haul jets
Aer Lingus finished putting Starlink on all 12 of its A330s and all 14 of its A321LR and XLR jets, ahead of its end-of-2026 target, and the Wi-Fi is free with no sign-up needed (One Mile at a Time, Oct 24).
Read more
Its shorter-route A320 jets are next, with no timeline yet. Airlines are a fast-growing Starlink customer group because each plane is a large, long-running contract. Musk called the move "A cunning move."
Affects: Bet 01 Starlink · Spoke: Starlink
Source: One Mile at a Time, Oct 24, 2026
Ukraine disputes Musk's claim that its military broke Starlink's rules
On Oct 25, Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to President Zelensky, wrote that it is "PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE" for Ukraine to use regular Starlink for long-range strikes.
Read more
He said civilian Starlink in Ukraine does not work over Russia and that drones using it have been capped at 70 to 90 km/h for months (CNBC). Ukraine said on Oct 24 that full speeds were back. Musk and SpaceX did not answer CNBC's questions. Still unknown: why Ukraine was not warned before the limits. What it means: service is working, but the dispute adds to Europe's push to build its own satellite networks.
Affects: Bet 01 Starlink · Spoke: Starlink
Source: CNBC, Oct 25, 2026
02Coming up
- Oct 26Today: up to 328.4M more SPCX shares become eligible to trade after a lockup ends (TipRanks). Eligible does not mean they will be sold.
- Oct 28Microsoft and Alphabet report quarterly results after the market closes; their AI spending plans matter for compute demand.
- Oct 29FCC vote on a proposal to open 482 MHz more for satellite-to-phone service (FCC open meeting, 9:30 AM CT). Amazon reports quarterly results after the market closes.
- Oct 30Tesla's sworn answers to safety regulators on Cybercab due.
- Late OctSpaceX nameplate compute near 2.2 GW by month-end (CFO). Final terms of the $40B chip debt, which Musk says is closed.
- NovemberCybercab launches in Dallas (Tesla, Oct 21). Starship Flight 15, no earlier than Nov 8, with a booster and ship catch attempt; Ship 42 still needs its static fire. Optimus demo video possible in "a month or two" (Musk, Oct 21). Nov 17–19: FAA public scoping meetings on Starbase Starship expansion. Nov 30: FAA comments due on Starbase Starship expansion.
- DecemberDec 1: fourth SpaceX compute hosting deal starts billing. Dec 3: Tesla annual meeting, 3:00 PM CT (Gigafactory Texas and online). Dec 8: big SPCX unlock. Dec 10: first Starship Starlink mission, no earlier than. EU vote on Tesla's driving software. Starship Flight 16, aimed at December. By year-end: Starship lander Cabin 1 finished (SpaceX chart via TeslaNorth); Tesla targets 24/7 Robotaxi service, first Cybercab sales to customers, and 400 MW of its own AI training compute; SpaceX targets 2.5–3 GW of nameplate compute and a $100B annualized revenue rate based on December.
- 2027Q1: possible EU-wide FSD approval (Musk: surprised if later). Terafab research fab commissioning in the first half, test chip around May–June (Musk). AI5 chip in Optimus around April. Q2: first customer-owned cars join the Robotaxi fleet (Tesla target); Robotaxi revenue "noticeable" (Musk). Starship ship-to-ship fuel transfer demo in Q1 (SpaceX chart via TeslaNorth); weekly Starship flights targeted in the first half. SpaceX's 800 MHz spectrum deal expected to close in the first half. Mobile V2 and Starmind satellites begin flying. Artemis III: Orion docks with a test Starship in Earth orbit (NASA). Uncrewed Starship Moon landing test late in the year (NASA). Optimus deliveries to outside customers around year-end (Musk).
- 2028Starlink Mobile service on SpaceX's own spectrum targeted for early 2028. Bolivia's towns start paying for school Starlink service after 24 free months (Bolivian government). Terafab volume production targeted around Q3 (Musk). New Roadster production starts (Tesla). First crewed Moon landings planned; NASA picks the first lander by readiness (NASA). Ukraine's first Nokia/ICEYE satellite planned (Nokia).
- 2029First Starship launch from SpaceX's planned Louisiana spaceport (target).
03The bets
Ten spokes are the big things. The bets below are a living scorecard; they change as the picture changes. Updated Oct 26, 2026. See all bets.
Starlink: the profit engine
Q3: 13.6M subscribers and $2.37B operating income. Aer Lingus finished Starlink on all long-haul jets; Ukraine disputes Musk's claim (Oct 25).
Watch Updated Oct 2502 · $SPCX · StarlinkStarlink Mobile: become a phone carrier
FCC votes Oct 29 on more satellite-to-phone airwaves; big carriers want 290 MHz cut. US service targeted for early 2028.
Scaling Updated Oct 2603 · $SPCX · Super IntelligenceAI data centers: renting compute
Test: SpaceX's company-wide goal of $100B ARR (annual run rate: one month's revenue times 12) by year-end (December revenue x12, reported with Q4) and profit after stock pay. Q3: $7.56B revenue, $431M operating profit. Musk says the $40B chip debt is closed; final terms not public (Oct 25).
Watch Updated Oct 2604 · $SPCX · StarshipStarship: cheap and routine
Booster 22 finished a full 33-engine static fire (Oct 25). Flight 15, no earlier than Nov 8, tries to catch both stages.
Behind Updated Oct 2105 · $SPCX · StarmindOrbital compute: Starmind vs Google Suncatcher
SpaceX says Starmind satellites begin flying in 2027. Nothing in orbit yet.
Watch Updated Oct 2606 · $SPCX · Super Intelligence · XGrok and X: subscriptions and ads
Musk says Grok's agent app can now make phone calls for you (Oct 25); X ad revenue up 19% to $538M in Q3.
Watch Updated Oct 2407 · $TSLA + $SPCX · TerafabTerafab
Test chip around mid-2027, volume around Q3 2028; first Texas phase put at $16B+ and about 3,000 jobs (Rep. McCaul).
Scaling Updated Oct 2608 · $TSLA · FSD + RobotaxiRobotaxi: driverless rides at scale
Latvia is the 10th EU country to approve Tesla's supervised software (Oct 26); 970 vehicles on the Texas Robotaxi list.
Watch Updated Oct 2209 · $TSLA · OptimusOptimus: robots doing real work
Production started on the Fremont line; 20,000 a week is at least a year out; outside customers around end of 2027.
Watch Updated Oct 2410 · $TSLA · Tesla Vehicles · Tesla EnergyTesla core: vehicles, Semi, energy
Q3: $1.53B free cash flow; Giga Berlin hit 7,000 Model Ys in a week; Megapacks almost sold out for 2027.