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SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule ends its second flawless trip to space and back
On June 4th, SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule C113 departed from the International Space Station 250 miles (400 km) above Earth’s surface, tapped its thruster ‘brakes’, and reentered the atmosphere soon after.
After a month spent in orbit, the uncrewed Dragon returned more than 1900 kg (4200 lb) to Earth, currently the only operational spacecraft on Earth capable of doing so. Per usual, Cargo Dragon splashed down off the coast of California, was picked up by SpaceX vessel NRC Quest, and arrived at Port of Los Angeles a few hours later. Captured by Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin in spectacular detail, C113’s second successful orbital mission serves as excellent foreshadowing for a follow-up launch – CRS-18 – that could come as soon as July 21st.
Orbital-class marshmallows
As per usual, Cargo Dragon received a healthy dose of charring during its orbital-velocity Earth reentry, barreling through the atmosphere at a blistering 7.7 km/s (4.8 mi/s, Mach 23). The capsule’s orientation during reentry is essentially seared into its hull by its own heat shield-generated plasma trail, creating the distinct dark-brown and black streaks visible in photos.
Although the visible wear and tear might look dramatic, the reality is SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft are specifically designed to survive the ordeal of Earth reentry in excellent shape – the ablative heat shield takes nearly all (~99%) of the heating-related stress. Cargo Dragon (and Crew Dragon, for that matter) are just shy of encased in a cocoon of a different type of foam-like thermal protection material, visible as Dragon’s pearly white skin prior to reentry.
Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin did an exceptional job of capturing the well-done SpaceX spacecraft’s return to shore in all its gritty, flight-proven glory, offering glimpses of Cargo Dragon’s Drago thrusters, parachute/drogue mortar, docking mechanism, and PICA-X heat shield.
CRS-18 crests the horizon
NASA and SpaceX have already scheduled Cargo Dragon’s next launch to the International Space Station on July 21st, a brisk 85 days after CRS-17’s successful launch. To make that date, preparations are already well underway and Cargo Dragon will likely ship from California within the next two weeks if it’s not already in Florida. Having successfully supported Cargo Dragon’s CRS-17 mission one month ago, Falcon 9 B1056.2 is scheduled to become the first flight-proven Block 5 booster to launch a dedicated NASA mission and the space agency is even open to using B1056 for a third time on CRS-19.
Beyond NASA’s Block 5 booster reuse milestone, there is also a good chance that CRS-18 will mark SpaceX’s first launch of an already twice-flown and refurbished Cargo Dragon capsule. Since CRS-10 (February 2017), just one of SpaceX’s seven subsequent Cargo Dragon launches has flown with a new capsule, and all of the company’s remaining CRS missions are expected to use refurbished spacecraft. Although one mystery Cargo Dragon capsule (C107) remains publicly unaccounted for, chances are quite good that CRS-18 will mark the first time a commercial space capsule has reached orbit three times.
Assuming SpaceX’s third refurbishment follows the fairly consistent two-year time scale of past Dragon reflights, Cargo Dragon C106 – the first Dragon SpaceX reused – will likely be CRS-18’s capsule.
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In a move echoing its earlier commitment to open innovation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced recently that the company plans to make the design and software of its Model S and Model X fully open source.
This follows the same approach Tesla took with its original Roadster, releasing all available design, engineering, and diagnostic materials in November 2023 so that “whatever we have, you now have.”
Just as Tesla made the original Roadster design & software open source, we plan to do the same with Model S & X
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2026
The Model S, introduced in 2012, was Tesla’s first mass-produced vehicle and a groundbreaking luxury electric sedan. It offered impressive range, rapid acceleration, and over-the-air software updates that redefined expectations for electric cars.
The Model X, launched in 2015, built on that foundation as a high-performance electric SUV notable for its distinctive falcon-wing doors, spacious interior, and advanced safety features. Both models served as flagships that helped establish Tesla as a leader in the EV industry and popularized long-range battery-electric vehicles.
Production of the Model S and Model X was wound down earlier in 2026, with manufacturing ending in the second quarter. Tesla redirected the Fremont factory space previously used for these vehicles toward higher-priority projects, including Optimus humanoid robots and the Cybercab autonomous vehicle.
By the time of Musk’s open-source announcement, custom orders had closed and only remaining inventory was available.
Open-sourcing the designs and software offers several clear advantages. Owners of these aging but still capable vehicles gain better access to technical documentation, diagnostic tools, and software resources, making independent repairs and modifications easier and more affordable.
Independent repair shops and third-party specialists can support the large existing fleet without relying solely on Tesla’s service network. Enthusiasts and engineers can study real-world implementations of Tesla’s battery, powertrain, and software systems, potentially accelerating broader industry progress in electric mobility.
The step aligns with Tesla’s 2014 patent pledge and its overall mission to advance sustainable transport by sharing hard-won knowledge rather than locking it behind proprietary walls.
By releasing these materials now that the models have left production, Tesla ensures continued support for its early adopters while freeing internal resources for future technologies. The open-source release of the original Roadster already enabled simulations, community projects, and deeper technical understanding.
Extending that practice to the Model S and Model X should deliver similar benefits on a larger scale, helping keep these influential vehicles relevant and repairable for years to come
Tesla flexed one incredible Robotaxi metric during the Q2 Earnings Call that skeptics have to hate to hear. The company’s platform has already driven more than 380,000 miles of unsupervised ride-hailing across several states with no notable incidents.
During the company’s Q2 Earnings Call on Wednesday, Vice President of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, said:
“First of all, I’d like to state that the Robotaxi program has been operating extremely well. Especially in terms of safety, the program has had an impeccable safety record. We have driven more than 380,000 miles of unsupervised Robotaxi, now across six cities in two different states. We have had zero notable incidents. Any reports have been of other actors impacting us when we were stationary. I like to emphasize how safe the operation has been so far. Zero notable incidents over 380,000 miles.”
Elluswamy’s claim over Robotaxi miles is a significant milestone for Tesla in the grand scheme, especially considering this is a sizeable number of miles without any incident.
0 notable incidents across over 380,000 miles traveled by Robotaxi
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 22, 2026
Tesla’s self-driving approach is much different than that of other companies. Tesla has maintained that vision is the only thing needed to have a solid and effective self-driving suite. Many self-driving companies utilize things like LiDAR, sensors, and other elements to improve performance, but Elluswamy sent a jab at those who believe it’s needed.
“Historically, the so-called experts have always claimed that you need LiDARs, radars, HD maps, and the entire kitchen sink to drive safely. Here we show that such is not true. You can have safe, comfortable, and affordable autonomy with just cameras. This record should be a huge validation of Tesla’s entire AI approach.”
The feat of accumulating this many miles without any driver behind the wheel is impressive. The thing is, Tesla is also doing this across several different locations, with varying traffic rules, pedestrian levels, weather patterns, and other important factors.
While Tesla is not ready to roll out an unsupervised platform completely, it is a slow but steady indication that the company is well on its way to figuring things out.
The company’s attitude toward expansion is slow, safe, and controlled, and despite this huge milestone, it will still be some time until we see Tesla truly unleash unsupervised rides more aggressively.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
SpaceX’s Starship flew successfully Friday, landing both stages and deploying its first Starlink V3 satellites.
Starship’s thirteenth test flight delivered exactly what SpaceX needed with a clean liftoff, two successful stage recoveries, and the first real payload the vehicle has ever carried to space. Booster 20 and Ship 40 lifted off at 5:51 p.m. CT from Starbase, and by the time the mission wrapped roughly an hour later, both halves of the rocket had done exactly what they were supposed to do.
Booster 20 separated from Ship 40 a few minutes into the flight and stuck a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico about six minutes after liftoff. That is a meaningful turnaround from Flight 12 in May, when the booster lost several engines during its boostback burn before a hard water landing attempt.
Starship as seen from Starlink satellites pic.twitter.com/e2hvfmnewh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2026
Starship 40’s performance was arguably the bigger win. The vehicle deployed the first 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites Starship has ever carried, then flew a suborbital arc to a landing in the Indian Ocean that SpaceX commentator Dan Huot called the company’s softest splashdown yet. “This is a dream scenario for this team that’s trying to get this heat shield data,” Huot said on the live broadcast, according to Space.com’s live coverage. “I’m a little over the moon right now. Wow. Lucky number 13.”
Unlike the mass simulators SpaceX flew on Flight 12, these were production Starlink V3 satellites, meant to extend solar arrays and antennas and attempt to link with the broader constellation before reentering minutes later. Getting real hardware through a full deploy sequence on only the second flight of the V3 generation keeps Starship on schedule for the payload work NASA is counting on for future Artemis lunar landings.
What an awesome launch, really seems like everything went super well and it was all incredibly smooth.
SpaceX is awesome. Very interested to see how the market will respond on Monday pic.twitter.com/KSHmyBfV55
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 25, 2026
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 25, 2026
The flight also arrives at a moment when SpaceX needed a win. SPCX has traded below its $135 IPO price since mid-July, as Teslarati reported when the mission slipped to Friday, and short interest has climbed to roughly a third of the tradable float. A clean flight will not fix a balance sheet, but it does answer the one question SpaceX absolutely needed answered this week: whether the fixes made after the July 16 abort would hold up under real flight conditions. They did, on both stages, on the first try after the redesign.
SpaceX has not set a target date for Flight 14, though the company has said it wants to push toward an orbital attempt on the next mission. After Friday, that goal looks a lot more within reach.
Tesla to open source Model S and Model X designs and software
Tesla flexes incredible Robotaxi metric that skeptics will hate
