SpaceX
SpaceX’s last Falcon 9 Block 4 launch showcased in NASA’s behind-the-scenes recap
Five months after the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was placed in orbit, NASA has published a 4K video recapping the spacecraft’s pre-launch preparations and launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 4 rocket.
Why the video in question took almost half a year to go from footage capture to publishing is unclear, but it easily takes the crown as the best look in years at the work that goes on behind the scenes of every SpaceX Falcon 9 launch.
— Eric Ralph (@13ericralph31) September 26, 2018
In the case of NASA’s TESS spacecraft, launched on April 18th, 2018, the SpaceX rocket assigned to the mission happened to include the last new Falcon 9 booster manufactured before production was switched over to the vehicle’s upgraded Block 5 cousin. Optimized with reusability, reliability, and NASA’s human spaceflight standards in mind, Falcon 9 Block 5 successfully completed its launch debut on May 11th, and the upgraded rocket is a few weeks away from its second reuse and sixth launch attempt.
— Eric Ralph (@13ericralph31) September 26, 2018
Falcon 9 B1045, the booster that launched TESS, successfully landed aboard SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You roughly nine minutes after launch, whereby it was returned to Cape Canaveral and refurbished in just 72 days, SpaceX’s quickest booster turnaround yet. Its second and final launch – sending SpaceX’s 15th Cargo Dragon mission to the International Space Station – went off without a hitch on June 29th, bringing SpaceX operations of non-Block 5 rockets to a quiet and routine close.
— Eric Ralph (@13ericralph31) September 26, 2018
NASA’s recap video of TESS’ prelaunch preparations and the activities leading up to and just after Falcon 9’s launch includes some of the best views available of the work that goes on behind the scenes of every SpaceX mission. Among myriad subjects included in the ten-minute video, viewers are given privileged views of all phases of the NASA spacecraft’s encapsulation inside Falcon 9’s payload fairing, perspectives of SpaceX’s rocket rollout operations at Launch Complex-40 (LC-40), uncut views of the rocket’s launch from camera angles inaccessible to the public, and more.
- Falcon 9 B1045 prepares for its first of two launches, April 2018. (NASA/SpaceX)
- Falcon 9 B1045 prepares for its first of two launches, April 2018. (NASA/SpaceX)
- Launch Complex 40 takes a beating during launch, but it’s designed to stand up to Falcon 9’s 7,607 kN (1,710,000 lbf) of thrust. (NASA/SpaceX)
- One frame of a slow-motion telephoto view of Falcon 9 B1045 just after launch. (NASA/SpaceX)
To top it off, the recap was published on YouTube at a high framerate and 4K (“UltraHD”) resolution, providing a number of opportunities to create uniquely high-quality GIFs of a SpaceX and NASA launch. A few of those snippets can be seen throughout this article and the full video is available to watch at the link below.
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Elon Musk
SpaceX’s next project will produce Starships at a level that sounds impossible
1,000 rockets per year is an insane number, especially considering Starship’s sheer size.
Elon Musk has revealed bold plans for SpaceX’s newest Starbase facility in Texas, predicting it will become a birthplace for “so many spaceships.” The upcoming “Gigabay,” a massive $250 million production hub in Starbase, Texas, is designed to manufacture up to 1,000 Starship rockets per year.
That’s an insane number of rockets for a single facility, especially considering Starship’s sheer size.
One of the world’s largest industrial structures
SpaceX’s Gigabay is expected to stand roughly 380 feet tall and enclose 46.5 million cubic feet of interior space, making it one of the largest industrial structures to date. The facility will feature 24 dedicated work cells for assembling and refurbishing Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, complete with heavy-duty cranes capable of lifting up to 400 U.S. tons, as noted in a Times of India report.
Construction crews have already placed four tower cranes on-site, with completion targeted for December 2026. Once operational, the Gigabay is expected to boost SpaceX’s launch cadence dramatically, as it would be able to build up to 1,000 reusable Starships per year, as noted in a report from the Dallas Express. Musk stated that the Gigabay will be “one of the biggest structures in the world” and hinted that it represents a major leap in Starbase’s evolution from test site to full-scale production hub.
A key step toward Mars and beyond
Starship is SpaceX’s heavy-lift rocket system, and it remains a key part of Elon Musk’s vision of a multiplanetary future. The vehicle can carry 100–150 tonnes to low Earth orbit and up to 250 tonnes in expendable mode. With several successful flights to date, including a perfect 11th test flight, the Starship program continues to refine its reusable launch system ahead of crewed lunar missions under NASA’s Artemis initiative.
Starship is unlike any other spacecraft that has been produced in the past. As per Elon Musk, Starship is a “planet-colonizer” class rocket, as the magnitude of such a task “makes other space transport task trivial.” Considering Starship’s capabilities, it could indeed become the spacecraft that makes a Moon or Mars base feasible.
Cybertruck
Tesla Cybertruck fleet takes over at SpaceX’s Starbase
Interestingly, the Cybertruck uses the same exterior, a stainless steel alloy, as SpaceX rockets. This synergy between the two companies and their very different products shows a very unified mentality between Musk companies.
Tesla Cybertrucks have taken over at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas, as hundreds of the all-electric pickup trucks were spotted late last week rounding out a massive fleet of vehicles.
The Cybertruck fleet is geared toward replacing gas vehicles that are used at Starbase for everyday operations. The only surprise about this is that it was not done sooner:
Was just visiting. pic.twitter.com/5Q9wPPaeuH
— Derek Li (@derek1ee) October 31, 2025
Deliveries have been going on for a few weeks, as Cybertrucks have made their way across the state of Texas from Austin to Starbase so they could be included in SpaceX’s fleet of vehicles at the facility.
Interestingly, the Cybertruck uses the same exterior, a stainless steel alloy, as SpaceX rockets. This synergy between the two companies and their very different products shows a very unified mentality between Musk companies.
However, there are some other perspectives to consider as SpaceX is utilizing such a massive fleet of Cybertrucks. Some media outlets (unsurprisingly) are seeing this as a move of weakness by both Tesla and SpaceX, as the aerospace company is, in a sense, “bailing out” lagging sales for the all-electric pickup.
It’s no secret that Tesla has struggled with the Cybertruck this year, and deliveries have been underwhelming in the sense that the company was anticipating between 1 million and 2 million orders for the vehicle before it was widely produced.
A lot of things changed with the Cybertruck between its 2019 unveiling and 2023 initial deliveries, most notably, price.
The price of the Cybertruck swelled significantly and priced out many of those who had pre-ordered it. Some have weighed the option of whether this purchase was a way to get rid of sitting inventory.
However, it seems more logical to consider the fact that SpaceX was likely always going to transition to Teslas for its fleet, especially at Starship, at some point.
It doesn’t seem out of the question that one Musk company would utilize another Musk company’s products, especially considering the Cybertruck has been teased as the vehicle that would be present on Mars.
News
SpaceX successfully launches 100th Starlink mission of 2025
With 100 Starlink missions completed for 2025, space enthusiasts have noted that SpaceX has successfully launched 2,554 Starlink satellites so far this year.
SpaceX achieved its 100th Starlink mission of the year on Friday, October 31, marking another milestone for 2025.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink broadband satellites successfully lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 4:41 p.m. ET, carrying another 28 Starlink satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Falcon 9 booster’s 29th flight
Roughly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first stage touched down on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the booster’s 29th flight, which is approaching SpaceX’s reuse record of 31 missions.
This latest mission adds to SpaceX’s impressive 138 Falcon 9 launches in 2025, 99 of which were dedicated to Starlink, according to Space.com. The company’s focus on reusing boosters has enabled this breakneck pace, with multiple launches each week supporting both Starlink’s expansion and external customers.
Starlink’s network continues massive global expansion
Starlink remains the largest active satellite constellation in history, with more than 10,000 satellites launched, nearly 8,800 of which are currently active. SpaceX recently achieved Starlink’s 10,000-satellite milestone. With 100 Starlink missions completed for 2025, space enthusiasts have noted that SpaceX has successfully launched 2,554 Starlink satellites so far this year.
Starlink, which provides high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity even to the world’s most remote areas, has been proven to be life-changing technology for people across the globe. The service is currently operational in about 150 countries, and it currently has over 5 million subscribers worldwide. From this number, 2.7 million joined over the past year.
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