News
SpaceX launches 52nd Falcon 9 rocket in 52 weeks
SpaceX has completed its 52nd successful Falcon 9 launch in 52 weeks, sustaining an average cadence of one launch per week for a full 12 months.
Simultaneously, the Starlink 4-2 rideshare mission set a new record for Falcon 9 booster reuse, marked SpaceX’s 150th consecutively successful launch, and was one of the most complex commercial launches it has ever performed.
In addition to 34 new Starlink V1.5 satellites that joined almost 3000 other working SpaceX spacecraft in orbit, Starlink 4-2 deployed the company’s largest rideshare payload yet – AST SpaceMobile’s 1.5-ton (~3300 lb) BlueWalker 3 communications satellite.
Falcon 9 lifted off on schedule with the combined 12-ton (~26,500 lb) payload safely secured inside its composite payload fairing at 9:20 pm EDT (01:20 UTC) on Saturday, September 10th. Tasked with lifting the rocket’s expendable upper stage, recoverable fairing, and payload most of the way out of Earth’s atmosphere was Falcon 9 booster B1058, a nine-engine first stage that debuted by launching two NASA astronauts in May 2020.
28 months later, B1058 lifted off with Starlink 4-2 and BlueWalker 3 on its 14th spaceflight and orbital-class launch, breaking Falcon 9’s booster reuse record. The rocket performed no differently than it had every time previously, burning for a bit less than three minutes before deploying the upper stage and returning to Earth. About nine minutes after liftoff, B1058 safely touched down on drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG), likely setting the booster up to break its own record before the end of 2022. With 13 launches already under their belts, boosters B1051 and B1060 will likely follow B1058 past the same 14-flight milestone in the near future.
Once free from the booster, Falcon 9’s expendable upper stage kicked off SpaceX’s most complex commercial launch ever. Measuring about six minutes long, the first and longest burn brought the second stage and payload into an elliptical orbit a few hundred kilometers above Earth’s surface. A second burn followed about 45 minutes after liftoff, raising the low end of that ellipse to deploy BlueWalker 3 into a circular orbit around 500 kilometers (~310 mi). Using a massive antenna, AST SpaceMobile’s first large satellite prototype will eventually attempt to directly communicate with mobile phones to provide a level of connectivity equivalent to 5G/LTE – all from space.
Once free of its rideshare payload, the focus shifted to Starlink. In theory, SpaceX could have taken the easy way out and significantly simplified the mission by deploying all 34 satellites at the same altitude as BlueWalker 3, simultaneously allowing them to reach their operational 540-kilometer (~336 mi) orbits in days instead of months. Instead, SpaceX pursued an exceptionally complex mission requiring five burns from Falcon 9’s upper stage.
After deploying BlueWalker 3, Falcon 9 S2 lowered one end of its orbit at around T+67 minutes, followed by a fourth burn to lower the other end almost two hours after liftoff. The upper stage then spun up end over end and eventually released all 34 Starlink satellites at an altitude of ~335 kilometers (~208 mi), where debris and faulty satellites will take days – rather than years – to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
While SpaceX doesn’t confirm post-payload operations, Falcon 9 S2 was also scheduled to perform a fifth and final burn to quickly deorbit itself, ensuring that the mission only produced five pieces of benign debris. At their very low orbits, those five pieces (four ‘tensioning rods’ and the BlueWalker 3 payload adapter) will pose next to no threat to other spacecraft or rockets and should reenter within a few weeks.
Starlink 4-2 was SpaceX’s 52nd successful Falcon 9 launch since September 14th, 2021, meaning that the company has technically already achieved CEO Elon Musk’s goal of 52 launches in one year – albeit not a calendar year. Perhaps even more impressive, the mission was SpaceX’s 150th consecutively successful Falcon launch. No other single rocket (Falcon 9) or rocket family (Falcon) has launched more times in a row without failure.
Finally, Starlink 4-2 was SpaceX’s 42nd launch of 2022. If the company continues its average cadence over the last three months, it could end 2022 having completed more than 60 Falcon launches in one calendar year.
Cybertruck
Tesla set to activate long-awaited Cybertruck feature
Tesla will officially activate the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on Cybertruck soon, as the company has officially added the feature to its list of features by trim on its website.
Tesla is set to activate a long-awaited Cybertruck feature, and no matter when you bought your all-electric pickup, it has the hardware capable of achieving what it is designed to do.
Tesla simply has to flip the switch, and it plans to do so in the near future.
Tesla will officially activate the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on Cybertruck soon, according to Not a Tesla App, as the company has officially added the feature to its list of features by trim on its website.
Tesla rolls out Active Road Noise Reduction for new Model S and Model X
The ANC feature suddenly appeared on the spec sheet for the Premium All-Wheel-Drive and Cyberbeast trims, which are the two configurations that have been delivered since November 2023.
However, those trims have both had the ANC disabled, and although they are found in the Model S and Model X, and are active in those vehicles, Tesla is planning to activate them.
In Tesla’s Service Toolbox, it wrote:
“ANC software is not enabled on Cybertruck even though the hardware is installed.”
Tesla has utilized an ANC system in the Model S and Model X since 2021. The system uses microphones embedded in the front seat headrests to detect low-frequency road noise entering the cabin. It then generates anti-noise through phase-inverted sound waves to cancel out or reduce that noise, creating quieter zones, particularly around the vehicle’s front occupants.
The Model S and Model X utilize six microphones to achieve this noise cancellation, while the Cybertruck has just four.
Tesla Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD estimated delivery slips to early fall 2026
As previously mentioned, this will be activated through a software update, as the hardware is already available within Cybertruck and can simply be activated at Tesla’s leisure.
The delays in activating the system are likely due to Tesla Cybertruck’s unique design, which is unlike anything before. In the Model S and Model X, Tesla did not have to do too much, but the Cybertruck has heavier all-terrain tires and potentially issues from the aluminum castings that make up the vehicle’s chassis, which are probably presenting some challenges.
Unfortunately, this feature will not be available on the new Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive configuration, which was released last week.
News
Tesla Model S and X customization options begin to thin as their closure nears
Tesla’s Online Design Studio for both vehicles now shows the first color option to be listed as “Sold Out,” as Lunar Silver is officially no longer available for the Model S or Model X. This color is exclusive to these cars and not available on the Model S or Model X.
Tesla Model S and Model X customization options are beginning to thin for the first time as the closure of the two “sentimental” vehicles nears.
We are officially seeing the first options disappear as Tesla begins to work toward ending production of the two cars and the options that are available to those vehicles specifically.
Tesla’s Online Design Studio for both vehicles now shows the first color option to be listed as “Sold Out,” as Lunar Silver is officially no longer available for the Model S or Model X. This color is exclusive to these cars and not available on the Model S or Model X.
🚨 Tesla Model S and Model X availability is thinning, as Tesla has officially shown that the Lunar Silver color option on both vehicles is officially sold out
To be fair, Frost Blue is still available so no need to freak out pic.twitter.com/YnwsDbsFOv
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 25, 2026
Tesla is making way for the Optimus humanoid robot project at the Fremont Factory, where the Model S and Model X are produced. The two cars are low-volume models and do not contribute more than a few percent to Tesla’s yearly delivery figures.
With CEO Elon Musk confirming that the Model S and Model X would officially be phased out at the end of the quarter, some of the options are being thinned out.
This is an expected move considering Tesla’s plans for the two vehicles, as it will make for an easier process of transitioning that portion of the Fremont plant to cater to Optimus manufacturing. Additionally, this is likely one of the least popular colors, and Tesla is choosing to only keep around what it is seeing routine demand for.
During the Q4 Earnings Call in January, Musk confirmed the end of the Model S and Model X:
“It is time to bring the Model S and Model X programs to an end with an honorable discharge. It is time to bring the S/X programs to an end. It’s part of our overall shift to an autonomous future.”
Fremont will now build one million Optimus units per year as production is ramped.
News
Tesla Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD estimated delivery slips to early fall 2026
Tesla has also added a note on the Cybertruck design page stating that the vehicle’s price will increase after February 28.
Tesla’s estimated delivery window for new Cybertruck Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD) orders in the United States has shifted to September–October 2026. This suggests that the vehicle’s sub-$60,000 variant is now effectively sold out until then.
The updated timeline was highlighted in a post on X by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, who noted that the estimated delivery window had moved from June 2026 to September-October 2026, “presumably due to strong demand.”
The Dual Motor AWD currently starts at $59,990 before incentives. Tesla has also added a note on the Cybertruck design page stating that the vehicle’s price will increase after February 28.
If demand remains steady, the combination of a later delivery window and a pending price increase suggests Tesla is seeing sustained interest in the newly-introduced Cybertruck configuration. This was highlighted by Elon Musk on X, when he noted that the Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD’s introductory price will only be available for a limited time.
When the Cybertruck was first unveiled in November 2019, Tesla listed the Dual Motor AWD variant at $49,990. Adjusted for inflation, that figure equates to roughly $63,000 in 2026 dollars, based on cumulative U.S. inflation since 2019.
That context makes a potential post-February price in the $64,000 to $65,000 range less surprising, especially as material, labor, and manufacturing costs have shifted significantly over the past several years.
While Tesla has not announced a specific new MSRP, the updated delivery timeline and pricing note together suggest that the Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD could very well be the variant that takes the all-electric full-sized pickup truck to more widespread adoption.
Tesla set to activate long-awaited Cybertruck feature
Tesla Model S and X customization options begin to thin as their closure nears
