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SpaceX’s first flight-proven Falcon Heavy Block 5 launch and landing in photos
Aside from center core B1057’s unfortunate demise, Falcon Heavy’s third launch was a huge success, placing two dozen satellites into three separate orbits over the course of nearly four hours.
Described as SpaceX’s most challenging launch ever, successfully completing the mission – known as Space Test Program-2 – has hopefully helped to guarantee that the US Department of Defense will fully certify Falcon Heavy for high-value military launches. SpaceX already has two such missions on its 2020/2021 launch manifest, although both are dependent upon the US Air Force deciding that the company’s newest rocket is ready. Teslarati photographers Pauline Acalin and Tom Cross were both on site to capture Falcon Heavy’s spectacular third launch, hopefully a sign of things to come as space agencies and commercial markets begin to warm to the new launch capabilities offered by the SpaceX rocket.
With the frenzied launch and landing now complete, we can look back through an array of photos produced over the course of Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 mission. Tom and Pauline (as well as dozens of other press photographers) endured hellish Florida humidity, heat, and mosquitos from start to finish, thankfully pushing through the environment to capture amazing photos of Falcon Heavy before and during launch.
STP-2 marked the first time two flight-proven Block 5 Falcon Heavy boosters were simultaneously re-launched on a later FH mission, as well as the first time the US military has flown a dedicated SpaceX mission with any kind of flight-proven Falcon – let alone two of them. Both side boosters performed flawlessly, while – for the third time in a row – the new center core was sadly unable to return to port aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY).
Incredibly, despite the fact that SpaceX had the USAF, NASA, and the future of Falcon Heavy’s US military launch career hanging on the line, the company’s engineers and technicians were able to pull off quite the feat, turning side boosters B1052 and B1053 around for a second launch just 74 days after their April 11th debut. In other words, despite the countless hurdles, the dual side booster reuse tied and nearly beat SpaceX’s current reusability records (71 days overall, 74 days for Block 5). This bodes extremely well for record-smashing rapid refuses of Falcon 9 boosters in the near future.
With their second launches now snuggly under their belts, B1052 and B1053 will very likely be converted into regular Falcon 9 boosters and enter into circulation as part of SpaceX’s flight-proven Falcon 9 fleet. With the ex-side boosters, that fleet could soon stand at an impressive eight flightworthy rockets, all nearing readiness or already ready for their next launches.
Falcon Heavy’s second successful launch in 11 weeks is nevertheless a touch bittersweet, as the rocket’s next (fourth) launch – barring mystery interim missions – is scheduled no earlier than fall 2020, 15-18 months from now. After that Q4 2020 launch, known as AFSPC-44, Falcon Heavy has another three firm contracts with launches in 2021, followed by a tentative fourth contract with Inmarsat that still needs to be finalized. For now, we’ll have to savor Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 launch – likely the last for quite some time.
Check out galleries of Pauline and Tom’s excellent photos of the massive SpaceX rocket below.
Falcon Heavy readies for its second launch in 11 weeks, June 24th. (Pauline Acalin) 
Falcon Heavy’s metal-capped payload fairing glints in the sun, loaded with 24 satellites as part of the USAF STP-2 rideshare mission. (Pauline Acalin) 
Falcon Heavy Flight 3 bares one of its two sooty, flight-proven side boosters. (Pauline Acalin) 
The weather in Florida was horrifically hot and humid, as usual. (Tom Cross) 
(NASA – Kim Shiflett) 
(Pauline Acalin)
A long-exposure captured this spectacular view of Falcon Heavy’s launch, side booster and core stage separation, upper stage ignition, side booster reentry burns, and side booster landing burns – all in one frame. (Tom Cross) 
Liftoff! (Tom Cross) 
Falcon Heavy lifts off from Pad 39A on its third launch ever. Sadly, center core B1057 was unable to stick its drone ship landing. (Tom Cross) 
Pad 39A’s Crew Access Arm (CAA) glows blue as Falcon Heavy takes flight. (Tom Cross) 
A remote camera set up by Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin captured this incredible view of all 27 Merlin 1D engines powering Falcon Heavy’s first stage. (Pauline Acalin)
Want to remember the awesomeness of Falcon Heavy every single day? Consider a limited-edition set of high-quality prints, signed by both Teslarati photographers to commemorate the rocket’s inaugural Starman launch.
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Tesla FSD fleet is nearing 7 billion total miles, including 2.5 billion city miles
As can be seen on Tesla’s official FSD webpage, vehicles equipped with the system have now navigated over 6.99 billion miles.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) fleet is closing in on almost 7 billion total miles driven, as per data posted by the company on its official FSD webpage.
These figures hint at the massive scale of data fueling Tesla’s rapid FSD improvements, which have been quite notable as of late.
FSD mileage milestones
As can be seen on Tesla’s official FSD webpage, vehicles equipped with the system have now navigated over 6.99 billion miles. Tesla owner and avid FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog also shared a screenshot indicating that from the nearly 7 billion miles traveled by the FSD fleet, more than 2.5 billion miles were driven inside cities.
City miles are particularly valuable for complex urban scenarios like unprotected turns, pedestrian interactions, and traffic lights. This is also the difference-maker for FSD, as only complex solutions, such as Waymo’s self-driving taxis, operate similarly on inner-city streets. And even then, incidents such as the San Francisco blackouts have proven challenging for sensor-rich vehicles like Waymos.
Tesla’s data edge
Tesla has a number of advantages in the autonomous vehicle sector, one of which is the size of its fleet and the number of vehicles training FSD on real-world roads. Tesla’s nearly 7 billion FSD miles then allow the company to roll out updates that make its vehicles behave like they are being driven by experienced drivers, even if they are operating on their own.
So notable are Tesla’s improvements to FSD that NVIDIA Director of Robotics Jim Fan, after experiencing FSD v14, noted that the system is the first AI that passes what he described as a “Physical Turing Test.”
“Despite knowing exactly how robot learning works, I still find it magical watching the steering wheel turn by itself. First it feels surreal, next it becomes routine. Then, like the smartphone, taking it away actively hurts. This is how humanity gets rewired and glued to god-like technologies,” Fan wrote in a post on X.
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Tesla starts showing how FSD will change lives in Europe
Local officials tested the system on narrow country roads and were impressed by FSD’s smooth, human-like driving, with some calling the service a game-changer for everyday life in areas that are far from urban centers.
Tesla has launched Europe’s first public shuttle service using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in the rural Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm region of Germany, demonstrating how the technology can restore independence and mobility for people who struggle with limited transport options.
Local officials tested the system on narrow country roads and were impressed by FSD’s smooth, human-like driving, with some calling the service a game-changer for everyday life in areas that are far from urban centers.
Officials see real impact on rural residents
Arzfeld Mayor Johannes Kuhl and District Administrator Andreas Kruppert personally tested the Tesla shuttle service. This allowed them to see just how well FSD navigated winding lanes and rural roads confidently. Kruppert said, “Autonomous driving sounds like science fiction to many, but we simply see here that it works totally well in rural regions too.” Kuhl, for his part, also noted that FSD “feels like a very experienced driver.”
The pilot complements the area’s “Citizen Bus” program, which provides on-demand rides for elderly residents who can no longer drive themselves. Tesla Europe shared a video of a demonstration of the service, highlighting how FSD gives people their freedom back, even in places where public transport is not as prevalent.
What the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Transport says
Rhineland-Palatinate’s Minister Daniela Schmitt supported the project, praising the collaboration that made this “first of its kind in Europe” possible. As per the ministry, the rural rollout for the service shows FSD’s potential beyond major cities, and it delivers tangible benefits like grocery runs, doctor visits, and social connections for isolated residents.
“Reliable and flexible mobility is especially vital in rural areas. With the launch of a shuttle service using self-driving vehicles (FSD supervised) by Tesla in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, an innovative pilot project is now getting underway that complements local community bus services. It is the first project of its kind in Europe.
“The result is a real gain for rural mobility: greater accessibility, more flexibility and tangible benefits for everyday life. A strong signal for innovation, cooperation and future-oriented mobility beyond urban centers,” the ministry wrote in a LinkedIn post.
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Tesla China quietly posts Robotaxi-related job listing
Tesla China is currently seeking a Low Voltage Electrical Engineer to work on circuit board design for the company’s autonomous vehicles.
Tesla has posted a new job listing in Shanghai explicitly tied to its Robotaxi program, fueling speculation that the company is preparing to launch its dedicated autonomous ride-hailing service in China.
As noted in the listing, Tesla China is currently seeking a Low Voltage Electrical Engineer to work on circuit board design for the company’s autonomous vehicles.
Robotaxi-specific role
The listing, which was shared on social media platform X by industry watcher @tslaming, suggested that Tesla China is looking to fill the role urgently. The job listing itself specifically mentions that the person hired for the role will be working on the Low Voltage Hardware team, which would design the circuit boards that would serve as the nervous system of the Robotaxi.
Key tasks for the role, as indicated in the job listing, include collaboration with PCB layout, firmware, mechanical, program management, and validation teams, among other responsibilities. The role is based in Shanghai.
China Robotaxi launch
China represents a massive potential market for robotaxis, with its dense urban centers and supportive policies in select cities. Tesla has limited permission to roll out FSD in the country, though despite this, its vehicles have been hailed as among the best in the market when it comes to autonomous features. So far, at least, it appears that China supports Tesla’s FSD and Robotaxi rollout.
This was hinted at in November, when Tesla brought the Cybercab to the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, marking the first time that the autonomous two-seater was brought to the Asia-Pacific region. The vehicle, despite not having a release date in China, received a significant amount of interest among the event’s attendees.
Tesla FSD fleet is nearing 7 billion total miles, including 2.5 billion city miles
Tesla starts showing how FSD will change lives in Europe
