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SpaceX teases exciting look at Crew Dragon mated with Falcon 9 rocket (Photos)

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SpaceX and NASA are going full-steam ahead towards the first astronaut launch from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. To that end, SpaceX has moved its Crew Dragon spacecraft to the hangar at Pad 39A for final launch preparations.

The craft is set to launch on May 27, at 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT), kicking off a 19-hour trip to the International Space Station. Buckled inside in the capsule will be two veteran astronauts: Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.

A NASA Gulfstream delivers Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to their Florida launch site. Credit: Richard Angle/Teslarati

The duo arrived in Florida on May 20, just a week before their historic flight is set to take off. The crew will finish up some last minute-training, try on their space suits one last time, and spend some time with their families prior to launching on a mission with no definitive return date. (They’re estimated to spend between 1-4 months on orbit, but the duration depends on several factors, including when the next Crew Dragon spacecraft will be complete.)

Meanwhile, SpaceX is busy readying their ride to space. To that end, on Friday, May 15, the gum drop-shaped capsule rolled into a hangar adjacent to the launch pad.

Once inside, SpaceX engineers inspected the vehicle before mating it to its Falcon 9 launcher.

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It’s a packed hangar at Pad 39A. This newly released photo shows a gaggle of Falcons waiting to launch. Credit: SpaceX

Along with the Crew Dragon booster, three other Falcons can be seen perched in the hangar. Those boosters are for upcoming flights, including the launch of an upgraded GPS satellite that was originally slated to launch in March. But thanks to the coronavirus currently sweeping the globe, and the fact that the GPS constellation is healthy, lead officials to push the launch back.

Also seen in the photo are two flight-proven boosters, designated B1051, and B1059.

Crew Dragon sits in the hangar adjacent to the launch pad at 39A. Credit: SpaceX

Now that the Falcon and Dragon are mated, the duo will roll to the launch pad in a day or two for a routine static fire test. After that, Behnken and Hurley will conduct one final run-through of launch day procedures. But first, the mission must pass a flight readiness review, lead by NASA’s associate administrator, Steve Jurczyk.

If all goes as planned, there will be a final launch readiness review on Monday (May 25), ahead of the launch on Wednesday, May 27.

I write about space, science, and future tech.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk highlights one of Tesla FSD Supervised’s most underrated features

In his post on X, Musk wrote, “Tesla self-driving now recognizes hand signals.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is able to recognize and respond to hand signals, as highlighted recently by CEO Elon Musk.

In his post on X, Musk wrote, “Tesla self-driving now recognizes hand signals.”

Musk shared the update in a quote reply to a video posted by Tesla Europe, which showed a vehicle operating with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) navigating a tight lane in the Netherlands while responding to hand gestures from a person directing traffic.

Hand signal recognition is an important capability for advanced driver-assistance and autonomous systems. In real-world driving, pedestrians, construction workers, parking attendants, and other drivers frequently use hand gestures to direct traffic, yield right of way, or indicate when it is safe to proceed. For a self-driving system operating in mixed environments, interpreting these non-verbal cues is critical.

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Musk’s post comes as Tesla owners have surpassed 8 billion cumulative miles driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged. “Tesla owners have now driven >8 billion miles on FSD Supervised,” the company wrote in a post on X.

Annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased sharply over the past five years. Roughly 6 million miles were logged in 2021, followed by 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. 

In the first 50 days of 2026 alone, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles. At the current pace, the fleet is trending toward approximately 10 billion FSD (Supervised) miles this year.

Tesla’s latest North America safety data, covering all road types over a 12-month period, also indicates that vehicles operating with FSD (Supervised) were recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. By comparison, the U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.

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Tesla hiring for Commercial Charging role hints at Semi push in Europe

The job opening was highlighted by David Forer, Senior Project Developer for Charging at Tesla, on LinkedIn.

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Credit: @HinrichsZane/X

Tesla appears to be expanding its Commercial Charging efforts in Central Europe. The job opening was highlighted by David Forer, Senior Project Developer for Charging at Tesla, on LinkedIn.

In a post on LinkedIn, Forer stated that Tesla is looking for a “high-energy executer to own Commercial Charging Sales in Central Europe.” He added that the role will involve closing commercial deals across Tesla’s “entire product range (Supercharging & Megacharging).”

The job listing specifies that the hire will lead the sale of Tesla’s high-power charging products, including Supercharger and Heavy Duty Charging, to major partners such as charge point operators, real estate owners, and retail companies. The role requires fluency in German and English and is based onsite in Munich.

Tesla already operates more than 75,000 Superchargers globally, though the Semi’s Megacharger network is still in its early stages. The inclusion of Heavy Duty Charging in the job description is notable, then, as it aligns with Tesla’s Megacharger infrastructure, which is designed to support the Tesla Semi.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed that the Tesla Semi is moving into high-volume production this 2026. In a post on X, Musk noted that “Tesla Semi starts high volume production this year.”

Aerial footage of the Tesla Semi Factory near Giga Nevada also shows that the facility looks nearly complete, with work now underway inside the facility. 

Tesla has also refreshed the Semi lineup on its official website, listing two variants: Standard and Long Range. The Standard trim offers up to 325 miles of range with an energy consumption rating of 1.7 kWh per mile, while the Long Range version provides up to 500 miles. 

Both variants support fast charging and can recover up to 60% of range in 30 minutes using compatible infrastructure such as the Megacharger Network.

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The presence of Heavy Duty Charging in a Central Europe-focused sales role could indicate that Tesla is preparing charging infrastructure ahead of wider Semi deployment in the region. While Tesla has not formally announced a European launch timeline for the Semi, the vehicle, particularly its range, makes it an ideal fit for the area.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving set to get an awesome new feature, Elon Musk says

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla Full Self-Driving is set to get an awesome new feature in the near future, CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X.

Full Self-Driving is the company’s semi-autonomous driving program, which is among the best available to the general public. It still relies on the driver to ultimately remain in control and pay attention, but it truly does make traveling less stressful and easier.

However, Tesla still continuously refines the software through Over-the-Air updates, which are meant to resolve shortcomings in the performance of the FSD suite. Generally, Tesla does a great job of this, but some updates are definitely regressions, at least with some of the features.

Tesla Cybertruck owner credits FSD for saving life after freeway medical emergency

Tesla and Musk are always trying to improve the suite’s performance by fixing features that are presently available, but they also try to add new things that would be beneficial to owners. One of those things, which is coming soon, is giving the driver the ability to prompt FSD with voice demands.

For example, asking the car to park close to the front door of your destination, or further away in an empty portion of the parking lot, would be an extremely beneficial feature. Adjusting navigation is possible through Grok integration, but it is not always effective.

Musk confirmed that voice prompts for FSD would be possible:

Tesla Full Self-Driving is a really great thing, but it definitely has its shortcomings. Navigation is among the biggest complaints that owners have, and it is easily my biggest frustration with using it. Some of the routes it chooses to take are truly mind-boggling.

Another thing it has had issues with is being situated in the correct lane at confusing intersections or even managing to properly navigate through local traffic signs. For example, in Pennsylvania, there are a lot of stop signs with “Except Right Turn” signs directly under.

This gives those turning right at a stop sign the opportunity to travel through it. FSD has had issues with this on several occasions.

Parking preferences would be highly beneficial and something that could be resolved with this voice prompt program. Grocery stores are full of carts not taken back by customers, and many people choose to park far away. Advising FSD of this preference would be a great advantage to owners.

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