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SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 launch in 31 hours aborted by “tiny helium leak”
SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 launch in a little over 31 hours was called off seconds before liftoff after the rocket’s onboard computer detected what Elon Musk says was a “tiny helium leak.”
SpaceX takes “no risks with customer satellites,” per the CEO, so the company has stood down from its October 6th launch attempt to inspect the rocket, analyze data gathered from tonight’s attempt, and ensure everything is in order. Barring surprises, SpaceX will attempt to launch Intelsat’s Galaxy-33 and Galaxy-34 geostationary communications satellites at the next earliest opportunity, a 69-minute window that opens at 7:06 pm EDT (23:06 UTC) on Friday, October 7th.
The abort ends an opportunity SpaceX had to launch three Falcon rockets faster than ever before, but the company was still able to crush a different (internal) record with two Falcon 9 launches in seven hours on October 5th. Thanks to its relentless pursuit of ever-higher launch cadences, SpaceX will likely have many opportunities to break its record of three launches in ~36 hours over the next several months.
Intelsat’s Galaxy-33/Galaxy-34 (G33/G34) mission would have been SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 launch in 31 hours and 20 minutes following the successful October 5th launches of Crew-5 (carrying four astronauts) at 12:00 pm EDT and Starlink 4-29 (deploying 52 Starlink satellites) at 7:10 pm EDT. The hat-trick record for a non-SpaceX vehicle appears to have been previously held by the Soviet R-7 rocket family, which completed three launches in 40 hours in March 1978.
SpaceX broke that record in June 2022 when it launched Starlink 4-19, SARah-1, and Globalstar FM15 a little over 36 hours apart. It will now have to wait for another opportunity to break its own record, though it likely won’t be too long as the company continues to target 60 launches in 2022 and “up to” 100 launches in 2023.
According to a SpaceX launch controller, Falcon 9’s first ill-fated Galaxy-33/Galaxy-34 launch attempt was aborted automatically when the rocket’s flight computer “identified higher than expected cryo helium decay.” SpaceX’s Falcon rockets burn a combination of cryogenic liquid oxygen and chilled rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1), but they carry composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) filled with high-pressure helium gas to keep their propellant tanks pressurized as they’re drained. If SpaceX’s much larger Starship rocket shares some similarities, the company may also use a system of “helium injection” [PDF] inside Falcon 9 to keep its cryogenic oxygen and chilled kerosene as cold as possible. Musk later simplified the cause of the abort to a “tiny helium leak,” but the location of the leak (inside or outside of the rocket) was not specified.
Two hours before that, the Crew Dragon spacecraft SpaceX launched the day prior successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), delivering its ‘payload’ of four professional astronauts to the orbital outpost. One of those passengers is Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina, marking the first time an American spacecraft has ferried a Russian to the ISS in almost 20 years. That milestone has unfortunately been muddied and overshadowed by the country’s illegal, genocidal, and increasingly suicidal invasion of Ukraine.
Crew-5 is the seventh Crew Dragon to successfully transport astronauts to the ISS and SpaceX’s eighth crewed launch overall since May 2020. Flying for the second time, Crew Dragon capsule C210 docked on its first try after a smooth 29-hour rendezvous. About a week from now, another crew of four astronauts will board a different Crew Dragon spacecraft and return to Earth, handing off the ISS to Crew-5 and ending SpaceX and NASA’s Crew-4 mission.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch at least one more batch of astronauts for NASA in March or April 2023, meaning that the company is expected to singlehandedly ensure NASA access to the ISS for almost three full years. At the start of the Commercial Crew Program and for most of its development, NASA intended for partners SpaceX and Boeing to alternate, but Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is years behind schedule.
Tesla has confirmed a crucial detail of its Miami Robotaxi launch, stating that the fleet is operating on an Unsupervised basis, joining a few other cities where company employees do not watch over the vehicles from inside.
Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, confirmed the detail on X, answering a highly speculated question about the Robotaxi Service in Miami, which was launched on June 3:
Unsupervised
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 3, 2026
The first launch of Robotaxi in Florida, Miami presents a unique opportunity for Tesla as it is operating the Unsupervised Robotaxi ride-hailing service in a major tourist hotspot in the Sunshine State. It also signals the suite will expand to other cities soon; many have requested Orlando, a heavy tourist spot with Disney and other resorts nearby, get access to the program soon as well.
Miami is getting a conservative rollout as well, just as Tesla has done with other cities. The initial geofence covers a compact 10–14 square mile zone in western Miami-Dade County, primarily West Miami extending toward Doral and Sweetwater. It is bounded roughly by SR-826 (Palmetto Expressway) to the north and US-41 (Tamiami Trail) to the south, excluding downtown Miami, Miami Beach, the airport, and most of Coral Gables.
Tesla has also been pretty slim on other details. For example, Tesla has not disclosed the exact fleet size, but field reports and license plate tracking indicate just two unsupervised Model Y vehicles were active on launch day, increasing to three within 48 hours.
According to The Road to Autonomy, a nearby staging lot near Miami International Airport holds dozens of Cybercabs alongside additional Model Y units, suggesting capacity for rapid scaling as demand and data collection grow.
The confirmation of Robotaxi being Unsupervised carries immense weight. It establishes that Tesla’s Miami Robotaxi operations run without human safety drivers or remote supervision, relying entirely on the company’s Full Self-Driving technology. Miami becomes the second major U.S. city after Austin to offer unsupervised Robotaxi rides from day one.
The move reflects rapid progress in Tesla’s AI efforts. Neural networks trained on vast real-world data now handle complex urban environments, including South Florida’s heavy traffic, pedestrians, and rainy conditions. Industry observers see it as validation of Tesla’s vision-centric, data-driven approach versus traditional rule-based systems; a truly unorthodox approach in this day and age.
Challenges remain, including regulatory oversight, public trust, and scaling the fleet to match geofence ambitions. Miami’s small initial footprint and limited vehicles highlight a deliberate, measured expansion strategy focused on safety and data gathering.
Nevertheless, the unsupervised confirmation marks a pivotal milestone. It showcases technical readiness and advances Tesla’s vision of transforming vehicles into autonomous revenue generators while reshaping urban mobility. For Miami users, driverless transportation has moved from concept to reality.
A California radiologist who drove his Tesla Model Y off a 250-foot cliff in an attempt to kill his family has had his charges dismissed after doctors say he is “doing well” in a mental health program.
Dharmesh Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection with a January 2023 crash where he drove his Tesla off a cliff, injuring his wife and two children, aged 7 and 4 at the time.
Patel drove the Tesla off Devil’s Slide in California, an area that is extremely rough to the point that investigators and rescuers expected the worst when arriving at the scene for the first time. Patel supposedly had schizoaffective disorder, according to Deputy District Attorney Dominique Davis.
Shockingly, Patel’s wife, who was in the vehicle, testified that she did not want her husband to be prosecuted, noting that their children missed their father and they wanted him to come back home. Patel’s attorney argued, “not everyone who commits a crime is a criminal.”
Doctor who took Tesla off cliff gets support from unlikely person
A three-day trial in Mental Health Diversion Court ruled in Patel’s favor, which kept him out of jail and instead on house arrest. He was admitted to a Mental Health Diversion Program, which he successfully completed, the Associated Press reported. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the judge was “required by law” to dismiss the charges:
“If the person who’s given mental health diversion follows the treatment plan, there’s nothing that can be done, and at the end of the two years he gets it wiped out of his record.”
Wagstaffe said he has argued, along with other DAs in California, to have attempted murder removed from the list of charges eligible to be dismissed due to mental health diversion programs.
Patel had the charges officially dismissed on Monday; his wife waited for him as he left court and they departed the building together, according to Mercury News. Patel surrendered his California medical license in December.
The crash has been one of the best examples of Tesla’s incredible engineering, which has saved four lives in this particular instance. The car was totalled but kept the four human beings alive and safe, which is something that many referred to as “an absolute miracle.”
A common misconception of anti-EV proponents is that the batteries used in the vehicles are detrimental to the environment and that they cause more waste than they are worth. But a look at Tesla’s battery recycling efforts last year shows the company is doing more than ever to recover materials and give portions of the cells a second life.
Tesla reported a significant milestone in its sustainability efforts last year, with battery recycling volumes rising 20% compared to 2024. According to the company’s 2025 Impact Report, Tesla recycled over 14,000 metric tons of battery material through a combination of in-house processing at its Gigafactories and collaborations with third-party recycling partners.
Tesla: “In 2025, we recycled over 14,000 metric tons of battery material through a combination of in-house processing and through our network of recycling partners.”
That’s equivalent to 46,000 long-range battery packs, a +20% increase from 2024. pic.twitter.com/TC3Nz7Kaqf
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 7, 2026
This amount of recovered material is equivalent to the resources needed to produce approximately 46,000 long-range battery packs. The increase reflects growing operational scale as Tesla’s global vehicle fleet expands and more batteries reach end-of-life or manufacturing scrap becomes available for processing.
Tesla and Battery Recycling
Battery recycling forms a core part of Tesla’s circular economy strategy. The company designs its batteries for longevity, often exceeding 200,000 miles of driving, and prioritizes repairs, remanufacturing, and second-life applications before full recycling.
Once packs are decommissioned, Tesla ensures 100% are recycled with no materials sent to landfills. This approach recovers critical metals including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, which can be refined and reused in new battery production.
Tesla has advanced hydrometallurgical recycling processes capable of achieving recovery rates up to 98% for key battery metals. These methods are more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional pyrometallurgical techniques, reducing energy use and enabling higher-purity materials suitable for direct reintegration into battery manufacturing.
Tesla co-founder JB Straubel confirms Redwood’s battery recycling operations are already profitable
In-house capabilities are supplemented by a network of specialized partners, creating a robust system that handles both production scrap and end-of-life packs.
The environmental and economic benefits are substantial. Recycling reduces reliance on virgin mining, lowers the carbon footprint associated with raw material extraction and processing, and helps stabilize supply chains for critical minerals amid rising global EV demand. As millions of Tesla vehicles age, the volume of recyclable material is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
This 20% year-over-year growth demonstrates the effectiveness of Tesla’s investments in recycling infrastructure and technology. It positions the company as a leader in addressing one of the automotive industry’s major sustainability challenges. Continued innovation in battery design for easier disassembly and higher recyclability will further enhance these efforts.
Overall, Tesla’s progress in 2025 highlights how scaling recycling operations supports both environmental goals and long-term business resilience in the transition to electric mobility. As the EV market matures, such closed-loop systems will become increasingly vital for sustainable growth.
Tesla confirms crucial detail of Miami Robotaxi launch
Radiologist who drove Tesla off cliff has attempted murder charges dismissed
