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SpaceX’s first converted Falcon Heavy booster already preparing for next launch

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SpaceX has rapidly recovered the first converted Falcon Heavy ‘side core’ after its first Falcon 9 launch and landing, kicking off preparations for its fourth launch less than two days after its third.

After four consecutive days of delays, one of which was caused by an inexplicably wayward cruise ship, former Falcon Heavy side core B1052 finally lifted off on January 31st on its first mission as a Falcon 9 booster. Despite the painful launch campaign, B1052 performed perfectly and helped send the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) CSG-2 Earth observation satellite to a polar sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) before boosting back to the Florida coast and landing just a few miles south of where it launched.

B1052’s Falcon 9 debut was one of the most beautiful SpaceX launches in recent memory. (Richard Angle)

As a Falcon Heavy side core, B1052 supported both of the only two launches of the Block 5 variant of the rocket – first on April 11th, 2019 and again on June 25th, 2019. Both times, side boosters B1052 and B1053 performed return-to-launch-site (RTLS) maneuvers and landed side by side at SpaceX’s LZ-1 and LZ-2 landing pads. CSG-2 thus marked B1052’s third launch and third RTLS landing

B1052 and B1053’s first side-by-side RTLS landings. (SpaceX)

Unlike drone ship recoveries, which usually involve landing 500+ kilometers (300+ mi) downrange on a platform floating in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, RTLS landings make booster recovery much easier and far less nerve-wracking. Whereas boosters recovered at sea run the risk of sliding around a slippery deck, easily incurring damage and making the process of safing and securing the building-sized rocket both dangerous and difficult, land-landings are incredibly benign in comparison.

Aside from enabling the use of far larger concrete Landing Zones, those land-based pads don’t have to deal with volatile maritime weather or high seas. They also don’t need several ships to support the recovery crew or tow the drone ship, easily cutting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the cost of booster recovery. The only downside is the extra propellant Falcon boosters need to fly all the way back to the coast, which substantially decreases the amount of payload a Falcon rocket can launch into orbit.

https://twitter.com/chancebelloise/status/1488920111142653953
B1052’s third land-landing, January 31st, 2022. (SpaceX)

Thanks to all the added operational efficiencies of an RTLS landing, Falcon booster B1052 – with its legs already retracted – was spotted heading to a SpaceX refurbishment hangar on a horizontal transporter just ~42 hours after its third launch and landing. Given SpaceX’s unprecedentedly busy 2022 launch manifest, B1052 could easily be assigned to a fourth launch as early as next month.

Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla China registrations bounce back to 11.1k vehicles in May’s 2nd full week

Tesla China’s domestic vehicle registrations have been volatile in recent weeks.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla reported 11,130 insurance registrations in China in the week of May 12-18, 2025. These represent a 262.5% increase from 3,070 registrations that the company saw in the week ending May 11.

Tesla China’s domestic vehicle registrations have been volatile in recent weeks, suggesting that Giga Shanghai may still be exporting Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to foreign territories this month.

Tesla China’s Registrations

In the week ending May 4, Tesla China saw 7,300 new vehicle registrations. This was not that surprising considering that Tesla may still be allocating Gigafactory Shanghai’s output to vehicle exports. In the week ending May 11, however, industry watchers were quite surprised to see just 3,070 registrations from Tesla China. 

The 262.54% bounce in vehicle registrations in the week ending May 18 is thus a pleasant update from the world’s biggest and most competitive electric vehicle market. Even with these results, however, industry watchers still note that Tesla China’s registrations this 2025 are still down 6.5% year-over-year.

Tesla China does not report its weekly sales figures, though the company’s overall performance in the domestic automotive sector can be inferred through new vehicle registration data. Fortunately, these registrations are closely tracked by industry watchers, as well as local automakers such as Li Auto.

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Domestic Sales and Exports

Following the start of domestic deliveries of the new Model Y in China, expectations were high that the company would see a steady rise in registrations this second quarter. Giga Shanghai does not only supply vehicles to the domestic Chinese market, after all, as the facility also serves as the company’s primary vehicle export hub, providing Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossovers to several territories.

Tesla China sold 28,731 vehicles domestically and exported 29,728 vehicles in April. In comparison, the company saw 74,127 domestic registrations and 4,701 exports in March 2025, as per data compiled by CNEV Post. Considering Tesla China’s registrations this May, it would not be surprising if the company’s exports this month would exceed March’s 4,701 units.

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xAI receives more Tesla Megapacks for Colossus 2

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xAI is bolstering its Colossus 2 data center in Memphis with 168 Tesla Megapacks, enhancing the energy infrastructure for its ambitious AI supercomputer expansion. The deployment underscores xAI’s push to lead AI innovation while addressing environmental concerns.

The first Colossus site is connected to a 150 megawatts (MW) substation powered by MLGW and TVA. It is supported by approximately 156 Megapacks, providing 150 MW of stored energy backup to xAI’s supercomputer. The 168 Tesla Megapacks recently delivered to xAI’s Memphis site will provide battery storage backup to Colossus 2.

In December 2024, xAI doubled the capacity of Colossus to 200,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, which consumes 250 MW of power–enough to energize 250,000 homes. In March 2025, the AI company bought a 1-million-square-foot site in Whitehaven, Memphis, for $80 million. xAI’s Whitehaven site could host up to 350,000 GPUs with the potential to deploy the largest number of Tesla Megapacks for backup power.

xAI plans to scale Colossus up to 1 million GPUs to create the world’s largest AI supercomputer. A 1-million-GPU setup would require over 1 gigawatt, about one-third of Memphis’s peak summer demand.

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Initially reliant on natural gas turbines, Colossus faced criticism for nitrogen oxide emissions. The 150 MW substation, completed in early 2025, reduced turbine use by half, with Megapacks providing cleaner backup power. By fall 2025, xAI expects the second substation to come online. Once the second substation is online, the remaining turbines will only be used for backup, reducing the project’s carbon footprint.

Tesla Energy’s Q1 2025 performance, with a 156% year-over-year increase and 10.4 GWh of storage deployed, supports xAI’s needs. Tesla’s Megapack factory in Waller County, Texas, set to create 1,500 jobs, signals further commitment to scaling energy solutions for projects like Colossus.

xAI’s rapid expansion, backed by Tesla Megapacks, positions it to rival AI leaders like OpenAI and Google. The Colossus 2 deployment reflects a strategic blend of cutting-edge AI and sustainable energy. As Memphis’ infrastructure adapts to unprecedented power demands, xAI and Tesla are reshaping the AI landscape with a focus on efficiency and environmental responsibility.

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Grok 3 by xAI Rolls Out on Azure AI Foundry with Free Trial

Grok 3 is now on Azure AI Foundry with a free preview until early June. From code to vision, Grok joins a growing roster of powerhouse models.

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(Credit: xAI)

xAI’s Grok 3 model is now available on Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry Models, launching with a free preview to drive AI innovation. The collaboration marks a significant step in making advanced AI accessible to developers worldwide.

Grok 3 became available on Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry Models on May 19, 2025. Developers can explore xAI’s Grok 3 at no cost through early June. After the free trial period, Grok 3 prices will be as follows:

“Microsoft and xAI are thrilled to unveil the availability of Grok 3 into the Azure AI Foundry Models, marking a significant milestone in AI accessibility and innovation,” Microsoft stated in its announcement.

The partnership integrates xAI’s cutting-edge model with Azure’s secure, scalable infrastructure, enabling enterprise scenarios in reasoning, coding, and visual processing. Grok 3 is accessible via Azure AI Foundry’s catalog, alongside models from OpenAI, Meta, Cohere, NVIDIA, and Hugging Face, reflecting Microsoft’s commitment to a diverse AI ecosystem.

“The addition of xAI’s Grok 3 underscores Microsoft’s commitment to support an open, diverse AI ecosystem, rather than relying on a single model provider,” the company noted.

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Like other AI models in Azure, developers can easily discover and deploy Grok 3’s model card. Grok 3 is also available for testing on GitHub models.

Microsoft provides two flexible deployment options for integrating xAI’s Grok 3 into applications: Standard Pay-Go or Provisioned Throughput Units (PTUs). The Standard Pay-Go option allows pay-per-token API calls for quick scaling. Meanwhile, the PTUs are better for reserved capacity with predictable latency.

“For production scenarios where you expect steady high volume or need strict latency, provisioning Grok 3 with PTUs can be cost-effective and reliable,” Microsoft advised.

The launch of Grok 3 on Azure AI Foundry empowers developers to build intelligent assistants, process large documents, or explore new AI applications. As xAI and Microsoft combine innovation with robust tools, Grok 3’s arrival signals a new era of AI development, inviting creators to leverage its capabilities and shape the future of technology.

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