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SpaceX readies for astronaut capsule recovery backup plan as rocket drone ship deploys to landing zone

The SpaceX autonomous spaceport drone ship Of Course I Still Love You returns empty to Port Canaveral following a Starlink mission missed landing attempt. (Credit: Richard Angle for Teslarati)

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Mission objectives of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 test flight, have already commenced days ahead of the scheduled launch attempt. On Wednesday, May 27th at 4:33 pm EDT, Elon Musk’s rocket launching – and landing – company, SpaceX, will set out to achieve more firsts than it has ever attempted in one launch. The final Crew Dragon test flight will shuttle NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station for the very first time. Along with the primary mission objective to deliver the astronauts safely, many secondary objectives are built into the mission profile. One of which is autonomously turning the Falcon 9 booster around shortly after launch to land on a floating barge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

During the late hours of Saturday, May 23rd, a trusted veteran member of the SpaceX fleet of recovery vessels, Tug Hawk, returned to Port Canaveral to transport SpaceX’s autonomous spaceport drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) to the designated booster recovery zone some 510km downrange. It seems that Tug Hawk and its crew returned specifically to assist with the recovery efforts of SpaceX’s highest-profile launch to date as there was already another tug at Port Canaveral available to assist that was not used. The arrival was captured by long-time port activity documenter, Julia Bergeron, and reported by the unofficial Twitter SpaceX recovery vessel tracking account, SpaceXFleet.

The SpaceX recovery fleet portion of the Demo-2 mission got underway on the morning of Sunday (May 24th). Space Coast local Greg Scott was at Port Canaveral to capture Tug Hawk’s departure with OCISLY in tow just twelve hours after arriving. About an hour later, the OCISLY support vessel that carries cargo and crew essential for booster recovery efforts, GO Quest, departed. It will take Tug Hawk and OCISLY approximately two days to travel to the recovery zone, arriving about 24 hours before the launch attempt.

The propulsive landing of a booster at sea is not a new concept for SpaceX. However, it is a practice that can be somewhat tricky to get right every time due to a multitude of factors. Recently, SpaceX suffered the loss of the Falcon 9 boosters B1056 and B1048 following recent Starlink satellite launches. Both boosters suffered unrelated issues with high winds and software glitches resulting in failed attempts to stick the landing on OCISLY. However, SpaceX successfully demonstrated the reliability of the Falcon 9 landing capability with the flawless launch and landing of the April 22nd Starlink Falcon 9 B1051 booster.

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A special circumstance of the Demo-2 mission is the added recovery requirements of the Crew Dragon capsule. With Crew Dragon launching from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and splashdown designated for the Atlantic Ocean, various recovery zones span almost the entire length of the United States’ eastern seaboard and across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland. Special recovery zones also are located throughout the Gulf of Mexico.

Typically, the recovery of a crew capsule would only be thought to occur upon mission end when it is on approach for splashdown after re-entry. However, the specially equipped SpaceX Crew Dragon recovery vessels, GO Searcher and GO Navigator, are required to be able to respond to a number of locations during launch and through the entire duration of Crew Dragon’s time on orbit chasing down the International Space Station prior to docking – for Demo-2 that will be nineteen hours. This is to ensure that in the unlikely event of Crew Dragon experiencing an emergency pad or launch abort scenario, the crew aboard can be safely rescued.

To this end, GO Searcher departed Port Canaveral days ago destined for the Naval Air Station in Pensacola on Florida’s west coast. GO Navigator will remain at Port Canaveral until Crew Dragon returns for a splashdown following the conclusion of Demo-2. Dual Dragon recovery vessels stationed on either side of Florida ensures that Hurley and Behnken can be rescued should they require emergency recovery.

Should Demo-2 pass SpaceX’s upcoming final Launch Readiness Review scheduled for Monday, May 25th, all will proceed toward the launch attempt on Wednesday, May 27th at 4:33 pm EDT.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

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Tesla FSD mocks BMW human driver: Saves pedestrian from near miss

Tesla FSD anticipated a BMW driver’s lane drift before the human behind the wheel could react.

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A video posted to r/TeslaFSD this week put a sharp spotlight on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software being able to react to pedestrian intent than an actual human driver behind the wheel. In the Reddit clip, a BMW driver can be seen rolling through a neighborhood street completely unaware of a pedestrian stepping in to cross. At the same time, a Tesla  driving on FSD had already begun slowing down before the pedestrian even began their attempt to cross the street The BMW kept moving, prompting the pedestrian to hop back, while the Tesla came to a stop and provide right-of-way for the human to safely cross.

That gap between what the BMW driver saw and what FSD had already processed is the story. Tesla FSD wasn’t reacting to a person in the street, rather it was reading the signals that a person was about to enter it based on the pedestrian’s movement, trajectory, and their trajectory to telegraph intent.

Tesla’s FSD is now built on an end-to-end neural network trained on billions of real-world miles, learning to interpret subtle human behavioral cues the same way an experienced human driver does instinctively. The difference is consistency. A human driver distracted for two seconds misses what FSD does not.

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Reddit commenters in the thread were blunt about the BMW driver’s failure, with several pointing out that the pedestrian was visible well before the crossing. One response put it plainly that the car on FSD saw the situation developing before the human in the other car had registered there was a situation at all.

Tesla has published data showing FSD (Supervised) is 54% safer than a human driver, accumulated across billions of miles driven on the system. Elon Musk has said FSD v14 will outperform human drivers by a factor of two to three, and that v15 has “a shot” at a 10x improvement. Pedestrian safety is where the stakes are highest, and where intent prediction closes the gap fastest. At 30 mph, a car covers roughly 44 feet per second. An extra second of awareness from reading a person’s body language rather than waiting for them to step out is often the difference between a near miss and a fatality.

Video and community discussion: r/TeslaFSD on Reddit

FSD saves man from becoming a pancake. BMW driver nearly flattens him.
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Tesla Robotaxi gets a small but significant change

In the world of Tesla, where billion-dollar battery breakthroughs and autonomy milestones dominate headlines, a quiet design update can still pack a punch.

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Credit: David Moss | X

In the world of Tesla, where billion-dollar battery breakthroughs and autonomy milestones dominate headlines, a quiet design update can still pack a punch.

Last week in downtown Austin, sharp-eyed observers spotted a subtle but telling evolution on the Cybercab: a new “ROBOTAXI” logo graphic now graces the vehicle’s doors at Tesla’s Autonomy Popup.

What looks at first glance like a minor stylistic choice is, in fact, a deliberate rebranding move that hints at how the company envisions its robotaxi fleet fitting into everyday life.

The updated lettering is bold, graffiti-inspired, and unapologetically street-smart. Rendered in black with dripping white accents and a glowing yellow outline, the font evokes urban energy and playful irreverence.

Gone is the sleek, minimalist typography that defined earlier Cybercab prototypes. In its place is something more human, almost rebellious.

The new logo pops against the Cybercab’s smooth, metallic body, turning the autonomous pod into a rolling piece of public art rather than just another futuristic taxi.

Designers know that fonts are silent brand ambassadors. They shape perception before a single ride is taken. Tesla’s classic sans-serif aesthetic screams precision engineering and Silicon Valley cool.

The new Robotaxi script leans into accessibility and fun, suggesting the vehicle is approachable, not intimidating. For a product meant to ferry strangers through city streets 24/7, that matters. It signals that the robotaxi isn’t reserved for tech elites; it’s for everyone.

Tesla Cybercab spotted next to Model Y shows size comparison

The timing is no accident. With regulatory approvals for unsupervised autonomy advancing and Tesla preparing to scale Cybercab production, the company is shifting from prototype showcase to fleet deployment.

A fresh logo helps differentiate the vehicles visually in dense urban environments—crucial for rider recognition and brand recall. It also aligns with Elon Musk’s long-standing ethos: make the future feel exciting, not sterile.

Small changes like this often foreshadow a larger strategy. Tesla has always obsessed over details—door handles, screen interfaces, even the curvature of a steering wheel.

Updating the Robotaxi font reflects the same meticulous care now applied to consumer-facing autonomy. It’s not just paint on metal; it’s a statement that the ride of the future should feel personal, memorable, and undeniably cool.

In an industry racing toward self-driving fleets, Tesla’s willingness to evolve even the smallest visual cues shows confidence. A font won’t launch the robotaxi network, but it might just help millions climb aboard with a smile.

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Tesla makes latest announcement on Model S and Model X

The announcement follows Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement on the Q4 2025 earnings call in late January. Musk described the decision as an “honorable discharge” for the two vehicles, noting that production would wind down in Q2 2026.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially begun winding down production of its flagship Model S and Model X in the United States, notifying owners via email that the long-running models will soon reach the end of the line.

The email, sent to U.S. customers on March 27, opens with gratitude. “Model S and Model X marked the beginning of the world’s transition to electric transportation,” it reads. “These vehicles also made it possible for Tesla to develop the technology that would move our world toward autonomy.”

Tesla officially begins sunset of Model S and Model X

It then delivers the news directly: “As we make way for this autonomous future, Model S and Model X production will be ending. If you’d like to bring home a new Model S or Model X, order yours soon from our limited inventory.”

The message closes with a simple thank-you: “Thank you for being part of our journey.”

The announcement follows Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement on the Q4 2025 earnings call in late January. Musk described the decision as an “honorable discharge” for the two vehicles, noting that production would wind down in Q2 2026.

The move frees factory floor space at Fremont, California, for next-generation manufacturing, including Optimus humanoid robots and the upcoming Robotaxi platform.

Introduced in 2012 and 2015, respectively, the Model S and Model X were Tesla’s original halo cars. They proved EVs could outperform gasoline luxury vehicles in acceleration, range, and tech features while pioneering over-the-air updates and early autonomy hardware.

Although they never matched the volume of the Model 3 and Model Y, their engineering breakthroughs laid the foundation for the company’s current lineup and full self-driving development.

Early adopters highlighted how the cars convinced them to invest in Tesla stock and the EV movement. Some U.S. owners who had not yet received the note voiced mild frustration, and international customers confirmed the outreach remains U.S.-only for now.

Tesla has not detailed an exact final production date beyond the Q2 2026 target or confirmed immediate replacements. Speculation continues about a possible Cybertruck-derived SUV, but the company’s public focus has shifted squarely to autonomy and robotics.

For buyers still interested in the S or X, the window is closing. Inventory is described as limited, and Tesla’s Korean division has already set a March 31 cutoff for new orders in that market. The email serves as both a farewell and final sales push, an elegant close to a chapter that helped define modern electric driving.

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