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SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft arrives at space station on second to last mission
SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon has successfully rendezvoused with the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s CRS-19 resupply mission, marking what is almost certainly the spacecraft’s second to last orbital launch.
On December 5th, new Falcon 9 booster B1059 lifted off from SpaceX’s LC-40 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) launch pad with a fresh upper stage and twice flown Cargo Dragon capsule C106 atop it. A little over nine minutes after launch, B1059 prepared to be robotically secured on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) while Cargo Dragon – now in orbit – separated from Falcon 9’s upper stage and headed on its merry way.
Cargo Dragon’s 20th orbital mission and 19th trip to the ISS, CRS-19’s twice-flown spacecraft commanded the deployment of its two solar arrays, primed its Draco maneuvering thrusters, and opened up its Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) bay. Using star trackers, inertial measurement devices, and lasers, Dragon then proceeded to precisely deliver itself to the ‘door’ of the space station before gradually approaching.
Astronauts aboard the ISS then manually guided Canadarm2 – a massive robotic arm externally attached to the space station – towards Cargo Dragon as it used its thrusters to essentially hover in place, ultimately grabbing the spacecraft with a sort of mechanical hand. At that point, Dragon effectively became a part of the ISS and astronauts monitored the subsequent (and mostly automated) process of using Canadarm2 to fully berth spacecraft with the station.
After berthing, astronauts are able to equalize the pressure between the ISS and visiting spacecraft and open the hatch, gaining access to whatever cargo it was loaded with prior to launch. Alternatively, visiting vehicles can also dock with the International Space Station, a process controlled entirely by the arriving spacecraft, a bit like berthing but with almost all of the risk on its shoulders. All Russian spacecraft currently use this method, as do Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
As it turns out, CRS-19 – partially hinted at in the name – is the second to last launch of SpaceX’s Dragon 1 (Cargo Dragon), which become the first commercial spacecraft capable of reentering Earth’s atmosphere in 2010 and rendezvousing with a space station in 2012. Five months later, SpaceX launched CRS-1 – its first operational resupply mission – and the rest is (more or less) history.
In the seven years since CRS-1, Cargo Dragon – including CRS-19 – has now flown 18 successful space station resupply missions and delivered more than 90,000 lb (50,000 kg) to its ever-changing crew of astronauts. Cargo Dragon has undergone at least two significant upgrades and suffered its fair share of mishaps, but has still successfully completed its mission every time it reached orbit.
NASA’s CRS1 SpaceX contract ultimately called for a total of 20 Cargo Dragon missions to the ISS, although more could technically be added retroactively if both entities were to decide they were needed. Currently, the plan is for CRS-20 – Cargo Dragon’s next launch – to be the spacecraft’s last orbital mission and is scheduled no earlier than March 2020.
After CRS-20, SpaceX – via its subsequent CRS2 NASA contract – means to introduce a version of Crew Dragon (Dragon 2) modified for cargo-only missions, optimally taking flight-proven Crew capsules and reusing them as Cargo Dragon 2s.
SpaceX recently revealed that the first Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft will unexpectedly not feature Crew Dragon’s complex SuperDraco abort system, a feature that has recently created several roadblocks. However, this dramatically simplifies Dragon 2 and means that SpaceX is still quite confident that the upgraded cargo spacecraft will be ready for its launch debut next year.
Known as CRS-21, that mission will see SpaceX’s CRS launches move from LC-40 to Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A pad in order to enable extremely late and convenient cargo-loading via Pad 39A’s Crew Access Arm (CAA), to be primarily used by astronauts boarding Crew Dragon. Similarly, Cargo Dragon 2 will dock with the ISS instead of using Dragon’s current berthing route, nominally requiring less hands-on astronaut time for each resupply mission.
Cargo Dragon will be missed but will forever remain a major piece of commercial spaceflight history. Dragon 2 will likely toe the line for the first half of the next decade, but SpaceX ultimately wants to get its generation Starship launch vehicle online as soon as possible – a feat that will make all Falcon and Dragon vehicles redundant if things go as planned.
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Elon Musk clapped back at France’s decision to withhold the approval for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system, projecting a clear and blunt message to French Transport Minister Phillippe Tabarot, after he publicly rejected the technology in its current form.
Tabarot outlines several concerns with Tesla Full Self-Driving in a detailed video statement, where he said, “The safety trade-offs are not yet sufficient to authorize it as it currently stands,” he said. He emphasized that FSD is not a true self-driving system and that the driver remains fully responsible.
Key issues Tabarot also brought up included allowing speeding when surrounding traffic exceeds limits and what he believes are insufficient guarantees of driver attention during complex urban maneuvers such as lane changes, intersections, and roundabouts.
Delaying the approval of FSD in France will cost lives
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2026
While acknowledging technological progress and France’s support for autonomous innovation, Tabarot stressed that deployment must prioritize road safety. He noted ongoing technical discussions with Tesla, the Netherlands, and other European partners, with further ecosystem meetings planned for the fall.
Musk’s rebuke highlights the human cost of regulatory caution. Tesla’s latest safety reports provide compelling data supporting accelerated adoption. In the most recent 12-month period, vehicles using FSD (Supervised) recorded one major collision per approximately 5.1 million miles driven, dramatically better than the U.S. national average of one crash per 698,000 miles.
Even Tesla vehicles driven manually with active safety features outperform the average by a wide margin. These figures come from billions of real-world miles of telemetry, showing FSD vehicles involved in far fewer incidents than both manual Teslas and the broader U.S. fleet.
Critics argue Tesla’s comparisons require careful scrutiny regarding reporting thresholds and fleet demographics, yet the data consistently positions FSD as a potential lifesaver. With road fatalities remaining a leading cause of death worldwide, Musk contends that proven safer technology should not face prolonged bureaucratic hurdles.
France’s measured approach reflects the broader European regulatory caution, which many, especially Musk, have been critical of in the past. However, as autonomous systems from Tesla and competitors like Waymo demonstrate superior safety in independent studies, pressure is mounting for harmonized approvals.
Musk’s warning carries the belief that every month of delay may equate to avoidable tragedies on European roads.
In a striking revelation that underscores the lucrative crossover between Big Tech and space exploration, Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, disclosed a massive $94.1 billion equity stake in SpaceX following the rocket company’s blockbuster initial public offering earlier this year.
The disclosure came in Alphabet’s quarterly filing, marking the first time the long-held private investment has been publicly valued at market prices. Google was an early backer, investing alongside Fidelity in 2015 with roughly $500-900 million at a time when SpaceX was valued around $12 billion.
That bet has delivered extraordinary returns, roughly a hundredfold, transforming a strategic play on satellite internet and launch capabilities into one of Alphabet’s largest assets.
Google, $GOOGL, has said they hold $94 billion in SpaceX, $SPCX, shares after IPO.
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) July 23, 2026
Of the total holding, approximately $80 billion remains subject to short-term post-IPO lockup restrictions, preventing near-term sales. An additional $14.1 billion faces longer-term restrictions, extending into the third quarter of 2027. This structure limits immediate liquidity but protects against market volatility as SpaceX transitions into public trading.
The SpaceX position contributed significantly to gains in Alphabet’s broader investment portfolio, which also includes a major stake in AI leader Anthropic. Combined, these holdings helped drive nearly $100 billion in investment gains during the second quarter, providing a substantial boost to net income amid ongoing AI spending pressures.
Analysts view the disclosure as validation of Alphabet’s venture strategy beyond its core search and cloud businesses. The investment aligns with deeper ties, including reported multi-billion-dollar deals for AI computing capacity on SpaceX infrastructure. As SpaceX advances Starship flights, Starlink expansion, and ambitious Mars goals under Elon Musk, Google’s stake positions it to benefit from the commercialization of space.
For Alphabet, the windfall highlights how patient, forward-looking bets in transformative sectors can yield outsized rewards. While lockups temper short-term impact, the holding cements SpaceX as a cornerstone of Alphabet’s diversified portfolio in an era where aerospace, AI, and connectivity increasingly intersect. Investors will watch closely as restrictions lift and SpaceX’s public performance unfolds.
In early 2026, Tesla made a bold strategic pivot: it largely eliminated the option to purchase Full Self-Driving (FSD) software outright and shifted to a subscription-only model. The change, effective around mid-February, ended the one-time fee that had previously ranged as high as $15,000 and later dropped to $8,000. Instead, customers would access FSD (Supervised) for $99 per month in the U.S.
At the time, skeptics questioned whether locking customers into recurring payments would hurt adoption or alienate buyers who preferred ownership of the feature. Tesla bet that a lower barrier to entry, seamless integration at purchase, and the ability to cancel at any time would drive higher uptake.
The results from Q2 2026 speak for themselves: the decision has been a resounding success, delivering the largest quarterly growth in FSD subscriptions in the company’s history.
Tesla FSD subscriptions went up 56% in Q2 2026 to 1.48 million, an increase of 200,000 from Q1 2026.
Tesla added more FSD subscribers in Q2 than in any quarter in its history. pic.twitter.com/jTciTD2JqW
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 22, 2026
According to Tesla’s Q2 shareholder update, active FSD subscriptions reached 1.48 million globally by the end of June 2026. That represents a 56 percent increase year-over-year and a 15.6 percent jump from the prior quarter. Tesla added roughly 200,000 new subscriptions in the period alone—the biggest single-quarter gain on record.
North America led the charge, with more than 55 percent of new vehicle deliveries including an FSD subscription at the time of purchase, a record attach rate for the region.
Tesla explicitly noted that “more customers [are] opting for subscription at the time of vehicle purchase,” crediting the model shift and prominent placement of the option in the ordering process. Subscriptions now contribute meaningfully to ancillary revenue, helping offset pressure elsewhere in the business.
The financial upside is substantial: At $99 per month, 1.48 million active subscriptions generate approximately $146.5 million in monthly recurring revenue. Over a full year, that equates to roughly $1.76 billion in annualized recurring revenue (ARR) from FSD subscriptions alone, assuming steady retention and no major pricing changes.
These figures represent pure, high-margin software revenue. Unlike vehicle sales, which carry production costs, warranty obligations, and supply-chain risks, FSD subscriptions flow largely to the bottom line once the software is developed and deployed over-the-air.
Tesla does not break out exact FSD subscription revenue in its filings (it sits within “Services and Other”), but the category grew 50 percent year-over-year in Q2, with executives highlighting subscriptions as a key driver.
The subscription model offers several structural advantages. It lowers the upfront cost of a new Tesla, potentially broadening the buyer pool and supporting vehicle demand, especially important amid fluctuating EV market conditions. It creates a predictable revenue stream that compounds as the fleet grows and more owners try (and stick with) the software.
Legacy one-time purchasers still exist, but new growth is overwhelmingly subscription-based following the February cutoff.
Early data also suggests improving retention and satisfaction, as well. Tesla has rolled out iterative FSD updates, including v14 features, and expanded availability to additional markets. Recent regulatory approvals in parts of Europe have further boosted interest, with owners in newly enabled countries eager to activate the software they had been waiting for.
FSD is still supervised; regulatory hurdles for true unsupervised autonomy persist in many regions, including the United States, and competition in advanced driver-assistance systems is intensifying. Yet the Q2 numbers validate Tesla’s bet: by removing the large upfront commitment and making FSD accessible via subscription, the company has accelerated adoption faster than many anticipated.
What began as a controversial switch-up has become a clear win. With nearly 1.5 million subscribers, record attach rates, and nearly $1.8 billion in potential annual recurring revenue already in view, Tesla’s FSD business is transitioning from a promised future to a tangible, fast-growing profit engine.
If the momentum continues, and especially if unsupervised capabilities unlock robotaxi opportunities, the subscription flywheel could become one of the most valuable assets in Tesla’s portfolio.
Elon Musk claps back at France’s Tesla Full Self-Driving approval delay
Google’s massive stake in SpaceX will shock you
