Musk Reads

Elon Musk announces SpaceX’s weirdest mission — Musk Reads

Tesla Cybertruck spotted; Starship SN15 flies; Starlink orders soar.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Tesla Cybertruck spotted; Starship SN15 flies; Starlink orders soar. It’s the free edition of Musk Reads #246 — subscribe now to receive two more editions later this week!

Last week, Musk Reads+ subscribers heard from cheese farmer Robin Betts on how he’s using Tesla to fight climate change. This week, subscribers will receive a special retrospective that marks the five-year anniversary of Tesla Model 3 preorders.

Don’t miss out — new members receive instant access to our ever-expanding archive, future premium issues, and much more. Subscribe to Musk Reads+.

Please note next week’s free issue will go out Tuesday instead of the normally scheduled Monday!

A version of this article appeared in the “Musk Reads” newsletter. Sign up for free here.

Musk quote of the week

“To the Moon!”

SpaceX: Inside the firm’s most ambitiously strange space mission

SpaceX plans to launch a funded, cryptocurrency-themed satellite to the Moon next year, Musk revealed over Twitter Sunday. The Doge-1 mission is themed around Dogecoin, which, at the time of writing, ranks as the world’s fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

Musk named three key features of the mission and not much else:

  1. The mission will be paid for in dogecoin.
  2. It will be the first cryptocurrency in space.
  3. It will be the first meme-themed space mission.

Little else is known at this time, but it could be SpaceX’s weirdest mission — even weirder than in February 2018, when SpaceX launched Musk’s red Tesla Roadster on a mission around the Solar System.

Watch Musk explain Dogecoin during this week’s Saturday Night Live appearance here:

The appearance coincided with a huge plummet in its value. The cryptocurrency dropped in value from 71 cents to 49 cents.

SpaceX also successfully cleared a major hurdle this week — the first successful high-altitude launch and landing for Starship. The SN15 flight on May 5 went off almost without a hitch, barring some flames after landing. Read more.

What was it like to witness the SN15 flight in person? Musk Reads+ subscribers last week heard from MaryLiz Bender, co-founder of Cosmic Perspective, about her experience of the iconic event.

Tesla

Dogecoin wasn’t the only feature of Musk’s SNL appearance. Musk also seemingly brought a prototype of the Tesla Cybertruck with him to New York:

The Cybertruck is expected to enter volume production next year.

The truck was also seen around the streets of New York City in a new video:

We’ve been overwhelmed by your support and kind words for our work.

“Always informative” — Alvadus Bradley McPherson, Musk Reads reader.

To receive two additional emails per week featuring exclusive interviews and analysis, upgrade to Musk Reads+ today.

In other Musk news…

  • Musk revealed on SNL that he has Asperger’s. Although he claimed to be the first with the condition to host the show, Dan Aykroyd was diagnosed in the 1980s and hosted the show in 2003. It should be noted Asperger’s syndrome is no longer a separate diagnosis and instead forms part of the wider autism spectrum disorder.
  • How much is a ticket on Blue Origin? Jeff Bezos revealed new details about a flight on New Shepard’s first crewed launch. Read more.
  • SpaceX received more than half a million orders for Starlink, and it could help pay for Musk’s Mars city. Read more.
  • Where does SpaceX go next with Starship? Musk claimed on May 7 that the firm “might try to refly SN15 soon.”

The ultra-fine print

This has been Musk Reads #246, the weekly rundown of essential reading about futurist and entrepreneur Elon Musk. I’m Mike Brown, an innovation journalist for Inverse.

Why subscribe to Musk Reads+? You’ll be supporting in-depth, high-quality journalism about the world’s most ambitious change-maker, Elon Musk. Tesla investors, SpaceX critics, and anyone with an interest will find something they love in our offerings. Independent journalism is important now more than ever, and your contributions will help us continue in our mission to deliver interviews and analysis you won’t find anywhere else.

  • Email me directly at mike.brown@inverse.com and follow me on Twitter @mikearildbrown.
  • Follow Inverse on Twitter @inversedotcom.
  • Got any comments or queries? Don’t forget to send them over to muskreads@inverse.com.

Musk Reads+ is a fully independent operation. We are not Elon Musk, nor are we employed by him. Our job is to report the events we find newsworthy, giving you the inside look at the worlds of space rockets, electric cars, clean energy, and more. It means firsthand accounts of a SpaceX rocket launch, Tesla insights from third-party analysts, and more.

If you want to support us in our mission, and receive exclusive interviews and analysis, consider contributing with a subscription.

A version of this article appeared in the “Musk Reads” newsletter. Sign up for free here.

This article was originally published on

Related Tags