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SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft caught on camera during NASA astronaut spacewalk

SpaceX's first astronaut-proven Crew Dragon spacecraft was captured on camera during a spacewalk by the same NASA astronaut that piloted it. (NASA)

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SpaceX’s first astronaut-proven Crew Dragon spacecraft has been caught on camera by one of the two NASA astronauts that piloted it during a routine spacewalk to repair the orbital International Space Station (ISS).

While outside the station to replace aging lithium ion batteries tasked with storing solar energy and powering the ISS during orbital night, NASA astronaut Bob Behnken was also able to take photos. Documenting the complex task that must be done during extravehicular activities (EVAs/spacewalks) is a routine and crucial part of ensuring that things go according to plan and knowing what went wrong when they don’t.

As an excellent side effect of that important work, some of those same photos can be less technical and more whimsical, capturing spectacular views of the orbital outpost. For the current crew, the location of the batteries that needed to be replaced luckily coincided with the location of most US docking and berthing ports, creating an opportunity for the two NASA astronauts to capture photos of the newest addition to the space station.

SpaceX’s historic Crew Dragon spacecraft has now spent more than a month in orbit since its May 30th astronaut launch debut and May 31st space station arrival. Crew Dragon is the seventh US spacecraft ever to launch astronauts into orbit in more than half a century of human spaceflight, making NASA’s photos of the vehicle all the more significant.

While decidedly less significant, as of July 3rd, Crew Dragon capsule C206 is also just 5-6 days away from breaking SpaceX’s record for a longest-duration orbital spaceflight – currently held by Cargo Dragon C111 and C112 after ~39.5 days spent in orbit.

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Crew Dragon C206 (right) is installed beside the Japanese HTV-9 resupply spacecraft. (NASA)

Short of a major emergency, the Demo-2 Crew Dragon is all but guaranteed to smash that record. According to current plans, the spacecraft is scheduled to attempt the second, equally critical half of its demonstration mission – safely returning NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to Earth – no earlier than (NET) August 2nd. NASA has to balance its competing needs for Crew Dragon to complete its Demo-2 mission sooner than later and the completion of several critical maintenance tasks (several involving spacewalks like the one on July 1st) while the space agency has a full crew compliment aboard the ISS.

When Behnken and Hurley depart the ISS in August, NASA will have just one crew member – Chris Cassidy – aboard the station until SpaceX and the space agency are ready for their second Crew Dragon astronaut mission. Known as Post Certification Mission 1 (PCM-1) or Crew-1, a brand new Crew Dragon is scheduled to launch four astronauts – three NASA and one JAXA (Japan’s space agency) – no sooner than six weeks after Demo-2 successfully splashes down. If things don’t go perfectly during Crew Dragon’s first crewed reentry, descent, and landing, that gap will grow significantly.

Either way, it’s likely that Crew Dragon C206 will spend at least 60-70 days in orbit before SpaceX and NASA attempt to return Behnken and Hurley to Earth. For now, the historic Dragon spacecraft will get to enjoy at least a few more weeks at the International Space Station.

Perhaps the most spectacular view of Crew Dragon from NASA’s July 1st EVA. (NASA)

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla Cybercab display highlights interior wizardry in the small two-seater

Photos and videos of the production Cybercab were shared in posts on social media platform X.

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Credit: Tesla Robotaxi/X

The Tesla Cybercab is currently on display at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., and observations of the production vehicle are highlighting some of its notable design details. 

Photos and videos of the production Cybercab were shared in posts on social media platform X.

Observers of the Cybercab display unit noted that the two-seat Robotaxi provides unusually generous legroom for a vehicle of its size. Based on the vehicle’s video, the compact two-seater appears to offer more legroom than Tesla’s larger vehicles such as the Model Y, Model X, and Cybertruck.

The Cybercab’s layout allows Tesla to dedicate nearly the entire cabin to passengers. The vehicle is designed without a steering wheel or pedals, which helps maximize interior space.

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Footage from the display also highlights the Cybercab’s large center screen, which is positioned prominently in front of the passenger bench. The display appears intended to provide entertainment and ride information while the vehicle operates autonomously.

Images of the vehicle also show an additional camera integrated into the Cybercab’s C-pillar. The extra camera appears to expand the vehicle’s field of view, which would be useful as Tesla works toward fully unsupervised Full Self-Driving.

Tesla engineers have previously explained that the Cybercab was designed to be highly efficient both in manufacturing and in operation. Cybercab Lead Engineer Eric E. stated in 2024 that the Robotaxi would be built with roughly half the number of parts used in a Model 3 sedan.

“Two seats unlocks a lot of opportunity aerodynamically. It also means we cut the part count of Cybercab down by a substantial margin. We’re gonna be delivering a car that has roughly half the parts of Model 3 today,” the Tesla engineer said.

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The Tesla engineer also noted that the Cybercab’s cargo area can accommodate multiple golf bags, two carry-on suitcases, and two full-size checked bags. The trunk can also fit certain bicycles and a foldable wheelchair depending on size, which is quite impressive for a small car like the Cybercab.

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Elon Musk’s xAI wins permit for power plant supporting AI data centers

The development was reported by CNBC, citing confirmation from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

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Mississippi regulators have approved a permit allowing Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI to construct a natural gas power plant in Southaven. The facility is expected to support the company’s expanding AI infrastructure tied to its Colossus data center operations near Memphis.

The development was reported by CNBC, citing confirmation from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

According to the report, regulators “voted to approve the permit” of xAI subsidiary MZX Tech LLC to construct a power plant featuring 41 natural gas-burning turbines “after careful consideration of all public comments and community concerns.”

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality stated that the permit followed a regulatory review process that included public comments and community input. Jaricus Whitlock, air division chief for the MDEQ, stated that the project met all applicable environmental standards.

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“The proposed PSD permit in front of the board today not only meets all state and federal permitting regulations, but goes above and beyond what is required by law. MDEQ and the EPA agree that not a single person around our facilities will be exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution,” Whitlock stated.

The planned facility will help provide electricity for xAI’s AI computing infrastructure in the Memphis region.

The Southaven project forms part of xAI’s efforts to scale computing capacity for its artificial intelligence systems.

The company currently operates two major data centers in Memphis, known as Colossus 1 and Colossus 2, which provide computing power for xAI’s Grok AI models. xAI is also planning to build another large data center in Southaven called Macrohardrr, which would be located in a warehouse previously used by GXO Logistics.

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Large-scale AI training requires substantial computing power and electricity, prompting technology companies to develop dedicated energy infrastructure for their data centers.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell previously stated that xAI plans to develop 1.2 gigawatts of power capacity for its Memphis-area AI supercomputer site as part of the federal government’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The commitment was announced during an event with United States President Donald Trump.

“As part of today’s commitment, we will take extensive additional steps to continue to reduce the costs of electricity for our neighbors. xAI will therefore commit to develop 1.2 GW of power as our supercomputer’s primary power source. That will be for every additional data center as well. We will expand what is already the largest global Megapack power installation in the world,” Shotwell said.

“The installation will provide enough backup power to power the city of Memphis, and more than sufficient energy to power the town of Southaven, Mississippi where the data center resides. We will build new substations and invest in electrical infrastructure to provide stability to the area’s grid.”

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Tesla China teases Optimus robot’s human-looking next-gen hands

The image was shared by Tesla AI’s account on Weibo and later reposted by Tesla community members on X.

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Credit: Tesla China

A new teaser shared by Tesla’s China team appears to show a pair of unusually human-like hands for Optimus. 

The image was shared by Tesla AI’s account on Weibo and later reposted by Tesla community members on X.

As could be seen in the teaser image, the new version of Optimus’ hands features proportions and finger structures that look strikingly similar to those of a human hand. Their appearance suggests that they might have dexterity approaching that of a human hand.

If the image reflects a new generation of Optimus’ hands, it could indicate Tesla is continuing to refine one of the most critical components of its humanoid robot.

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Hands are widely viewed as one of the most difficult engineering challenges in robotics. For Optimus to perform complex real-world work, from manufacturing tasks to household activities, its hands would need to be the best in the industry.

Elon Musk has repeatedly described Optimus as Tesla’s most important long-term product. In posts on social media platform X, Musk has stated that Optimus could eventually become the first real-world Von Neumann machine.

In theory, a Von Neumann machine is a self-replicating system capable of building copies of itself using available materials. The concept was originally proposed by mathematician John von Neumann in the mid-20th century.

“Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

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If Optimus is expected to carry out complex work autonomously in the future, high levels of dexterity will likely be essential. This makes the development of advanced robotic hands a key step towards Musk’s long-term expectations for the product.

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