SpaceX
SpaceX shows off first completed Crew Dragon spaceship with new Falcon 9
New photos posted from an official tour of SpaceX’s Pad 39A launch facilities reveal that SpaceX has effectively completed integration and preflight preparations of the company’s first flightworthy Crew Dragon spacecraft, as well as the new Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket that will be tasked with launching it early next year.
Currently targeting launch no earlier than (NET) January 17th, this inaugural Crew Dragon launch – known as Demonstration Mission 1 (DM-1) – will be conducted without a crew aboard to ensure that the spacecraft’s performance and characteristics fit within design parameters, hopefully giving NASA the data it needs to certify Crew Dragon to launch astronauts as early as June 2019.
omfg @spacex just posted some absolutely stunning photos inside Pad 39A's hangar: meet the first completed Crew Dragon and its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket (B1051) 😀 In the far left (second photo), you can also see what is probably B1047 in the midst of refurbishment. pic.twitter.com/NWULyAEhpQ
— Eric Ralph (@13ericralph31) December 18, 2018
Aside from the wonderful fact that all (or nearly all) of the hardware needed for Crew Dragon’s launch debut can be seen in the four photos posted today, this is also the first time SpaceX has ever provided a real photo of the next-gen spacecraft’s trunk-based solar array. A dramatic departure from Cargo Dragon’s more traditional duo of multi-panel solar arrays, which deploy from disposable covers and fold out like wings, SpaceX decided from the start that Crew Dragon would take a much different approach. In a move that presumably cut the risk of solar array deployment, Crew Dragon’s panels are conformally attached (i.e. curved to fit) to the disposable trunk’s rear exterior.
Incredible opportunity to see @SpaceX's Dragon 2 Capsule – an important part of the future of American human space exploration as we aim to return American astronauts to space on U.S. rockets from U.S. soil! pic.twitter.com/Pk5lkpOFEX
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) December 18, 2018
Rather than deploying its arrays like wings, Crew Dragon will always have its solar cells ready and waiting to generate power, simply requiring the spacecraft to face one half of its trunk towards the sun. According to a few individuals involved with the trunk, guaranteeing food fitment between individual cells and subsections and avoiding the problems caused by different thermal expansion coefficients (shrinking and expanding as the temperature changes) was no easy task and led to many, many headaches in the final weeks of integration and testing. From a less objective standpoint, Crew Dragon’s new conformal solar array is absolutely stunning, and it will be a shame to see each sculpture-like trunk relegated to a destructive atmospheric reentry after each launch.
Pragmatically speaking, it’s extremely satisfying to see all the hardware (both rocket and spacecraft) effectively under the same roof at the launch pad they will soon lift off from. Much like Falcon Heavy, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) has been beset with the better part of two years of delays from original launch targets in 2017 for both Boeing and SpaceX. Since then, a combination of NASA bureaucracy and technical/programmatic stumbles made by both companies have conspired to almost indefinitely delay the first uncrewed and crewed trips to orbit.
- At long last, SpaceX’s first completed Crew Dragon has been integrated with a flightworthy trunk and is awaiting attachment to Falcon 9. (SpaceX)
- The first complete Crew Dragon is likely just days away from rolling out to Pad 39A atop Falcon 9. (SpaceX)
- The DM-1 Crew Dragon testing inside SpaceX’s anechoic chamber, May 2018. (SpaceX)
- SpaceX’s Demo Mission-1 Crew Dragon seen preparing for vacuum tests at a NASA-run facility, June 2018. (SpaceX)
- The first spaceworthy Crew Dragon capsule is already in Florida, preparing for its November 2018 launch debut. The same capsule will be refurbished and reflown as few as three months after recovery. (SpaceX)
- Crew Dragon arrives at ISS. (SpaceX)
- DM-2 astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley train for their first flight in Crew Dragon. (NASA)
SpaceX suffered catastrophic Falcon 9 failures in both 2015 and 2016 and has largely been working to ameliorate the technical and organizational flaws that allowed those anomalies to occur, while also having to convince NASA that they are ready to safeguard the lives of the space agency’s astronauts. Since SpaceX’s last known total vehicle failure in September 2016, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy have managed an extraordinary 37 successful launches in a row in a little more than 24 months.
SpaceX is targeting Crew Dragon’s first orbital launch sometime in January 2019, with the placeholded launch date currently sitting on January 17th, pending International Space Station (ISS) availability and NASA’s go-ahead. Given the presence of Falcon 9 B1051 in 39A’s integration hangar and the fact that SpaceX technicians already appear to be integrating the first and second stages, the company may well be ready to perform a full-up dress rehearsal – involving Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon rolling out and going vertical on Pad 39A – before 2018 is out.
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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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