WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday charged Tesla CEO Elon Musk with securities fraud, alleging he misled investors last month in tweets about taking the company private. Musk tweeted August 7 that he had “secured” funding to privatize the electric automaker at $420 a share, causing a brief spike in Tesla’s share price. The SEC said Musk’s statements on Twitter were “false and misleading” and that he had […]
Tag: ELON MUSK
SpaceX vows manned flight to space station is on track
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Tech magnate Elon Musk’s SpaceX vowed Monday to send its first astronauts into orbit on schedule next year — part of a drive to restore America’s dominance of the space race. Gwynne Shotwell, the aerospace manufacturer’s president, told journalists in Los Angeles an unmanned flight to the International Space Station in November would pave the way for a manned mission in April 2019. “Predicting launch dates could make a […]
SpaceX delays plans to send tourists around Moon: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — SpaceX will not send tourists around the Moon this year as previously announced, and will delay the project until the middle of next year, US media reported on Monday. “A new timetable for the flight — now postponed until at least mid-2019 and likely longer — hasn’t been released” by the California-based company, said the report in The Wall Street Journal. The reason for the delay is unclear. But it is […]
Tesla shareholders back paying Musk billions if stock soars
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Tesla chief Elon Musk will only get paid if the company’s stock soars — but could cash-in to the tune of more than $50 billion if it does, according to a plan approved by shareholders Wednesday. A Tesla spokesperson confirmed that shareholders voted to approve the proposal for a 10-year performance stock award “entirely contingent on achieving market cap and operational milestones that would make Tesla one of the […]
SpaceX poised for 50th launch of Falcon 9 rocket
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — SpaceX is poised for the 50th launch of its signature Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday, marking a swift ascent to a milestone many aerospace giants take far longer to attain. The launch of the Falcon 9 carrying the Hispasat, Spanish telecommunications, and broadband satellite, is scheduled for 12:33 am (0533 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. “At six metric tons and almost the size of a city […]
Space-X lobs Spanish military satellite into orbit
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Elon Musk’s Space-X sent a Spanish military satellite into orbit Thursday in a hitch-less liftoff from California, extending the private space company’s record of successful launches. Space-X, which proved the utility of its massive Falcon Heavy rocket earlier this month, put up the Paz imaging satellite and two of the company’s own test internet communications satellites on a smaller Falcon 9 rocket. “Successful deployment of PAZ satellite to low-Earth orbit […]
Tesla aims to calm fears over Model 3 production
by Luc Olinga Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A day after launching one of its cars into space, Tesla moved Wednesday to ease concerns on earth over production delays for its Model 3, the key to future growth for the star electric carmaker. In its quarterly earnings update, the carmaker led by entrepreneur Elon Musk said it is moving ahead toward its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week by […]
Elon Musk, visionary Tesla and SpaceX founder
by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — From cars to rockets, Elon Musk dreams big. On Tuesday, the South African-born entrepreneur combined both of those passions, blasting one of his Tesla electric cars into space aboard his own rocket. It was the latest feat for the 46-year-old Silicon Valley billionaire who has been hailed as a leading innovator and visionary. Born in Pretoria, on June 28, 1971, the son of an […]
Tesla cars to have own motor racing competition
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Tesla electric cars, which have a passionate following around the world, will soon have their own racing competition, a global sports organizer said on Thursday. Electric GT Holdings said the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), motorsports’ governing body, has approved circuit races for the Tesla Model S P100D. “The Championship is the first all-electric circuit race series in the world and heralds the dawn of a new electric future,” […]
SpaceX performs first ‘static fire’ of Falcon Heavy rocket
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — SpaceX on Wednesday test-fired its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time in a launch pad experiment aimed at giving its main engines a trial workout before blasting off in the coming days. Touted as the “world’s most powerful rocket,” the Falcon Heavy is designed to one day carry crew and supplies to deep space destinations such as the Moon and Mars. “Falcon Heavy hold-down firing this morning was good. […]
SpaceX’s Elon Musk to launch his own car into deep space
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — SpaceX confirmed Wednesday its CEO Elon Musk plans to blast his cherry red electric car off toward the Red Planet when the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket launches for the first time next month. Many wondered if Musk was joking last week when he tweeted his plans for the Falcon Heavy’s inaugural payload to be his “midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity,” the classic song by the late David Bowie. […]
World’s biggest lithium ion battery switched on in Australia
JAMESTOWN, Australia (Reuters) — The world’s biggest lithium ion battery, built by Tesla, was switched on to feed Australia’s shaky grid just in time for the first day of summer, meeting an ambitious promise by Tesla’s Elon Musk to build it in 100 days or give it for free. Tesla won a bid in July to build the 129-megawatt hour battery for the state of South Australia, which has expanded in wind power far quicker […]





