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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, Falcon 9 likely ready for astronaut launch debut in 10 weeks, says Musk
According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket meant to support the company’s first-ever astronaut launch should be ready for flight as early as December 2019.
His implication is clear: after Crew Dragon’s In-Flight Abort (IFA) test and flight preparations are complete and the hardware is integrated in Florida, ready for launch, the bulk of delays beyond that point will rest heavily on how expeditiously NASA is willing and able to complete the paperwork and reviews still in the way.
Perhaps the single biggest point of uncertainty for Crew Dragon’s astronaut launch debut (Demo-2) is the completion of the spacecraft’s crucial IFA test, a high-altitude, high-velocity abort meant to demonstrate safe crew escape capabilities even at the most stressful point of launch. Assuming Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon perform flawlessly during that challenging test and NASA concurs after reviewing the results, the only major obstacles remaining for Demo-2 will be the pace of NASA’s reviews and paperwork completion.
Confirmed by a recent NASA tweet with photos of the hardware, the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon assigned to the IFA arrived in Florida in the first few days of October, right on schedule. As Musk notes, thrice-flown Falcon 9 booster B1046 must first complete a routine static fire test, while SpaceX also needs to prepare Pad 39A for flight after several months of downtime.
Additionally, SpaceX is deep into the process of constructing dedicated Starship launch facilities at Pad 39A, meaning that loose construction equipment and materials are scattered across a large section of the pad’s apron. Much of that may have to be relocated or secured before Falcon 9 can safely introduce its own form of storm-force winds to the area.
Meanwhile, SpaceX confirmed more than a month ago that the Falcon 9 booster assigned to support Crew Dragon’s inaugural astronaut launch has already completed a routine static fire acceptance test in McGregor, Texas. On September 28th, CEO Elon Musk also stated that the Demo-2 Crew Dragon spacecraft would likely arrive in Florida in November 2019, likely a strong estimate given that he also forecast the IFA Crew Dragon’s arrival in October. The latter capsule arrived in Florida approximately five days after Musk’s statement.
Traditionally, one might assume that NASA’s flight-readiness is closer to the truth than SpaceX’s, owing to the space agency’s decades of experience and (in)famously methodical approach to spaceflight safety. However, at this point in time, it’s impossible to accurately conclude that NASA or SpaceX’s due diligence is superior. Crew Dragon capsule C201 suffered a massive explosion in April 2019, ripping the spacecraft to pieces as a result of a valve’s fault design, a failure that would have almost certainly killed any astronauts onboard.
Neither NASA or SpaceX foresaw that failure mode, despite dozens of agonizingly detailed reviews over years of work, (supposedly) constant NASA oversight, and months upon months of delays to Crew Dragon’s Demo-1 launch debut as NASA and SpaceX worked to completed yet more reviews and paperwork. This is all to say that it remains as frustratingly unclear as ever whether NASA’s reviews and paperwork – likely to delay Crew Dragon’s astronaut launch debut well into Q1 or even Q2 2020 – are worth more than the trouble
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Elon Musk
Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.
Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.
Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports
Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.
Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.
Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.
It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.
Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.
The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.
However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.
News
Tesla upgrades Model 3 and Model Y in China, hikes price for long-range sedan
Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles).

Tesla has rolled out a series of quiet upgrades to its Model 3 and Model Y in China, enhancing range and performance for long-range variants. The updates come with a price hike for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, which now costs RMB 285,500 (about $39,300), up RMB 10,000 ($1,400) from the previous price.
Model 3 gets acceleration boost, extended range
Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles), up from 713 km (443 miles), and a faster 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, down from 4.4 seconds. These changes suggest that Tesla has bundled the previously optional Acceleration Boost for the Model 3, once priced at RMB 14,100 ($1,968), as a standard feature.
Delivery wait times for the long-range Model 3 have also been shortened, from 3–5 weeks to just 1–3 weeks, as per CNEV Post. No changes were made to the entry-level RWD or Performance versions, which retain their RMB 235,500 and RMB 339,500 price points, respectively. Wait times for those trims also remain at 1–3 weeks and 8–10 weeks.
Model Y range increases, pricing holds steady
The Model Y Long Range has also seen its CLTC-rated range increase from 719 km (447 miles) to 750 km (466 miles), though its price remains unchanged at RMB 313,500 ($43,759). The model maintains a 0–100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.
Tesla also updated delivery times for the Model Y lineup. The Long Range variant now shows a wait time of 1–3 weeks, an improvement from the previous 3–5 weeks. The entry-level RWD version maintained its starting price of RMB 263,500, though its delivery window is now shorter at 2–4 weeks.
Tesla continues to offer several purchase incentives in China, including an RMB 8,000 discount for select paint options, an RMB 8,000 insurance subsidy, and five years of interest-free financing for eligible variants.
News
Tesla China registrations hit 20.7k in final week of June, highest in Q2
The final week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.

Tesla China recorded 20,680 domestic insurance registrations during the week of June 23–29, marking its highest weekly total in the second quarter of 2025.
The figure represents a 49.3% increase from the previous week and a 46.7% improvement year-over-year, suggesting growing domestic momentum for the electric vehicle maker in Q2’s final weeks.
Q2 closes with a boost despite year-on-year dip
The strong week helped lift Tesla’s performance for the quarter, though Q2 totals remain down 4.6% quarter-over-quarter and 10.9% year-over-year, according to industry watchers. Despite these declines, the last week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.
As per industry watchers, Tesla China delivered 15,210 New Model Y units last week, the highest weekly tally since the vehicle’s launch. The Model 3 followed with 5,470 deliveries during the same period. Tesla’s full June and Q2 sales data for China are expected to be released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) in the coming days.
Tesla China and minor Model 3 and Model Y updates
Tesla manufactures the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai facility, which provides vehicles to both domestic and international markets. In May, the automaker reported 38,588 retail sales in China, down 30.1% year-over-year but up 34.3% from April. Exports from Shanghai totaled 23,074 units in May, a 32.9% improvement from the previous year but down 22.4% month-over-month, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
Earlier this week, Tesla introduced minor updates to the long-range versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in China. The refreshed Model 3 saw a modest price increase, while pricing for the updated Model Y Long Range variant remained unchanged. These adjustments come as Tesla continues refining its China lineup amid shifting local demand and increased competition from domestic brands.
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