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SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule christened ahead of operational astronaut launch debut
The long-standing tradition of astronauts naming the spacecraft that transports them safely to and from space continues ahead of SpaceX’s next crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS).
Shortly after safely arriving in low Earth orbit during SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley revealed “Endeavour” to be the chosen name of their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Prior to being named by its crew, the capsule had only been referred to by its internal build number, C206. The next Crew Dragon Capsule to visit the ISS, the Crew-1 mission C207 capsule, has been given the same treatment. Until now.
On Tuesday, September 29, during a full day of Crew-1 pre-mission media briefings, NASA astronaut and Commander of the Crew-1 mission, Mike Hopkins, revealed that “the Crew-1 Dragon capsule number 207 will henceforth be known by the call sign: Resilience.”
Hopkins explained that “I think all of us can agree that 2020 has been a challenging year; global pandemic, economic hardship, civil unrest, isolation. The name Resilience is really an honor of the SpaceX and the NASA teams.” He went on further to explain that the name was also chosen as a nod to all of those that have endured the difficulties, but continued to support the mission, “our families, our colleagues, our fellow citizens, our international partners, our leaders that have all showed those same characteristics through these difficult times.”
What’s in a name?
The naming of crewed spacecraft is a tradition that extends all the way back to NASA’s Mercury program. Alan Shepard, the first American in space in 1961, designated his spacecraft “Freedom 7” before its debut flight.
More notable names arose during NASA’s Apollo era of lunar exploration. With two spacecraft required for the missions to the Moon – a command module and a lunar lander – monikers were needed to distinguish between the two vehicles during radio communication. “Charlie Brown” and “Snoopy” were chosen for the spacecraft of the Apollo 10 mission. The characters of Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” have since become synonymous with NASA.
In observance of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 10, an inflatable Snoopy balloon dressed in an orange astronaut suit premiered during the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. It was a reoccurrence of the astronaut Snoopy balloon that originally debuted in 1969 celebrating Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s famous walk on the Moon during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission.
New era of spaceflight, same traditions
Hurley and Behnken designated “Endeavour” for their dragonship as a way of honoring those before them. Both Behnken and Hurley both flew to the ISS for the first time as NASA astronauts on NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour.
After the tragic loss NASA’s space shuttle “Challenger” in 1986, NASA returned to flight with the newly christened space shuttle “Endeavour” in 1992. The name was chosen to fit in-family with the other space shuttle names designated after famous historical ships that set sail to explore the great unknown. Endeavour was named after a British Royal Navy research vessel designated for the lands of Australia and New Zealand in 1768.
The command module of Apollo 15 also shares the name. Commander David Scott once explained that the named “Endeavour” was chosen to recognize the heavy scientific emphasis of the Apollo 15 mission mirroring that of the British Royal Navy research vessel of the same name.
It seemed only fitting that the first crewed vehicle to return humans to the ISS from American soil after an absence of nine years receive the honorary name “Endeavour” as well.
Although the tradition of naming the spacecraft remains, the inspiration for those names has shifted. Dragonship “Resilience” is not the only spacecraft to launch from Earth in 2020 with a name defined by a characteristic. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover launched earlier this year on its way to the Red Planet.
The name option of Perseverance was submitted, along with 28,000 other essay submissions, to be voted on by the general population. Perseverance was chosen by seventh-grader Alexander Mather. He believed the name fit in-family with the other Mars rovers currently occupying the Red Planet and that it was one of the most important characteristics missing from the line up of other inspirational names such as Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and InSight.
When Mather submitted the name, he believed it to represent a quality possessed by humans. Throughout the year 2020, the definition of the name evolved to represent the wilfulness of human nature to endure and overcome the tumultuous year of 2020. As Mather explained “we, not as a nation, but as humans will not give up. The human race will always persevere into the future.”
Dragonship “Resilience” is sure to inspire just as many as its many predecessors. “Resilience” will be the very first spacecraft to complete an operational crewed mission to the ISS for NASA’s Commerical Crew Program. It will carry NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker along with Japan Aerospace Exploration astronaut Sôichi Noguchi to the ISS. Barring any further delays, the Crew-1 “Resilience” Dragon capsule is slated to blast off atop of a SpaceX Falcon 9 at 2:40 am (0640 UTC) from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, FL on October 31, 2020.
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Tesla will resolve its massive recall of nearly three million vehicles in China with stickers and a software update.
On Friday, Chinese regulators filed recall plans against Tesla, Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Xpeng, Chery, Geely, Dongfeng, Arcfox, and FAW to resolve what is essentially a carbon-copy issue throughout each of the companies’ vehicle models: emergency door release latches are simply not visible enough.
Tesla door handle saga gets its latest chapter and a big change is coming
The companies will be required to add things that will make these latches, which will open the door in the event of an emergency, more visible. Of the 7 million vehicles impacted, Tesla accounts for 2,975,910 units. More than 1.9 million of those are Model Y vehicles, with the rest, just over 970,000, being Model 3s.
To resolve the issue, Tesla is going to add warning labels to the emergency latches free of charge, and then utilize an Over-the-Air update to add a post-crash window-lowering strategy, according to CNEVpost.
This massive effort to fix the all-electric Model Y and Model 3’s emergency latch system comes just months after several probes across various markets identified the trouble some had identifying this latch. Those who had gotten involved in car accidents that stripped the vehicle of its power were not aware that every Tesla has emergency door latches.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said that severe crashes that disable a vehicle’s low-voltage system could not only hinder occupants from getting out, but also make it more difficult for emergency response workers to gain entry.
SAMR is starting to tighten the regulations it has on door handles on vehicles. A new mandatory national standard will take effect for all models starting January 1, 2027, and will require all doors to be equipped with mechanical release mechanisms. This will effectively end purely electronic door handles. Models already on sale with type approval have been granted a two-year transition period, which will enable things to change until January 2029.
Tesla has officially confirmed plans to bring its all-electric Semi truck to Europe, with full specifications and market-launch details set for unveiling at the IAA Transportation trade fair in Hannover, Germany.
The event runs September 15–20, with a possible press preview on September 14. The announcement, shared via Tesla’s Semi account, marks a significant expansion beyond North America nearly nine years after the truck’s original 2017 reveal.
🚨 Tesla Semi is coming to Europe!
Sustainable logistics is a huge market internationally, and now Tesla is involved in it outside of the U.S. market! https://t.co/q3hjX6ybMv pic.twitter.com/mxTaVY3UsE
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 20, 2026
In the United States, the Semi’s path has been gradual. Limited pilot production and customer deliveries began in late 2022, primarily to fleets such as PepsiCo. After years of refinement, high-volume manufacturing started on April 29, 2026, at a dedicated facility adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada.
The plant targets an annual capacity of 50,000 units, though the ramp is expected to be gradual, with “many thousands” of trucks projected by the end of 2026.
Demand is building, with recent orders including 500 units for Einride (deliveries starting September 2026, serving Amazon and others) and hundreds more from operators such as WattEV. Pricing stands at approximately $260,000 for the Standard Range and $290,000 for the Long Range before incentives.
Tesla Semi pricing revealed after company uncovers trim levels
Earlier in 2026, Tesla finalized production specifications that incorporated substantial updates. In February, the company detailed two variants designed for a full 82,000-pound gross combination weight.
The Standard Range offers about 325 miles of range with a 548 kWh battery and curb weight under 20,000 pounds. The Long Range delivers roughly 500 miles with an 822 kWh pack and a 23,000-pound curb weight. Both use three independent rear-axle motors producing up to 800 kW (about 1,073 horsepower), achieve energy consumption of around 1.7 kWh per mile, and support megawatt-class charging at up to 1.2 MW—recovering about 60 percent of range in 30 minutes through the MCS standard.
Additional refinements include a roughly 1,000-pound weight reduction versus earlier prototypes, improved aerodynamics, a 48-volt electrical architecture, electric power take-off up to 25 kW for refrigerated trailers, and fleet management software with over-the-air updates.
These advances position the Semi as a competitive option against diesel trucks on operating costs and performance. For Europe, adaptations such as lighting, cab configurations (including potential sleeper options), and regulatory compliance are anticipated.
With series production underway in Nevada and major fleet commitments secured, the upcoming IAA reveal will clarify timelines, European-specific specs, and pricing, potentially accelerating electrification of heavy-duty freight on both continents.
Investor's Corner
Tesla Robotaxi gets a massive upgrade in Nevada
Nevada regulators just approved a massive expansion of Tesla’s robotaxi fleet across the entire county.
Tesla’s robotaxi footprint in Nevada just grew by roughly 500 times in a single regulatory vote.
The Nevada Transportation Authority approved Tesla’s full Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit on Thursday, clearing the way for the company to deploy up to 5,000 driverless vehicles across Clark County over the next 12 months. The decision came during a four hour general session meeting that Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt watched live and reported on X, noting the vote replaces the interim order that had limited Tesla to just 10 robotaxis on a narrow stretch of the Las Vegas Strip.
EXCLUSIVE: Tesla has just officially received approval for its full Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit in Nevada, clearing the way for Tesla to launch a paid public Robotaxi service in Las Vegas.
This officially allows @Tesla to deploy up to 5,000 robotaxis over the next… pic.twitter.com/DPs5UtUlrE
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 20, 2026
That earlier cap, covered here after it surfaced on August 13, came with restrictions that looked stricter than what Tesla runs in Austin: a 45 mph speed ceiling, no airport pickups, and a geofence confined to the Strip corridor. The new approval extends Tesla’s operating authority to all of Clark County, with room to request an even wider geofence across the state.
Tesla representatives at the meeting said they have no intention of putting 5,000 cars on the road right away. Commercial rides are expected to start within 30 days, pending vehicle inspections, insurance filings, and fare approval, the standard steps every robotaxi operator in Nevada has had to clear.
Tesla’s own Robotaxi account replied to the news with a short line, The golden future is upon us.
The timing lines up with Tesla’s broader robotaxi push this month. The company is preparing to open Cybercab rides to the public in Austin as soon as this month, and it opened a sweepstakes for riders to win a seat at the launch event. Tesla filed its original application for a 5,000 vehicle Nevada fleet back in June, a request regulators trimmed to 10 vehicles when they issued the interim order in July. Thursday’s vote effectively grants the number Tesla asked for from the start.
Zoox, the Amazon owned robotaxi operator, has run in Nevada since 2025 and was capped at 100 vehicles before Thursday’s decision. Tesla’s new ceiling puts it well ahead of that comparison on paper, though the company has said its actual fleet size will depend on how quickly FSD v15 rolls out, the software update executives have called the gateway to scaling unsupervised robotaxi operations nationwide.
Tesla will resolve massive China recall with stickers and a software update
Tesla Semi is officially headed to Europe
