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SpaceX readies for astronaut capsule recovery backup plan as rocket drone ship deploys to landing zone
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.
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.
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Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving pricing strategy will eliminate one recurring complaint that many owners have had in the past: FSD transfers.
In the past, if a Tesla owner purchased the Full Self-Driving suite outright, the company did not allow them to transfer the purchase to a new vehicle, essentially requiring them to buy it all over again, which could obviously get pretty pricey.
This was until Q3 2023, when Tesla allowed a one-time amnesty to transfer Full Self-Driving to a new vehicle, and then again last year.
Tesla is now allowing it to happen again ahead of the February 14th deadline.
The program has given people the opportunity to upgrade to new vehicles with newer Hardware and AI versions, especially those with Hardware 3 who wish to transfer to AI4, without feeling the drastic cost impact of having to buy the $8,000 suite outright on several occasions.
Now, that issue will never be presented again.
Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on X that the Full Self-Driving suite would only be available in a subscription platform, which is the other purchase option it currently offers for FSD use, priced at just $99 per month.
Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk
Having it available in a subscription-only platform boasts several advantages, including the potential for a tiered system that would potentially offer less expensive options, a pay-per-mile platform, and even coupling the program with other benefits, like Supercharging and vehicle protection programs.
While none of that is confirmed and is purely speculative, the one thing that does appear to be a major advantage is that this will completely eliminate any questions about transferring the Full Self-Driving suite to a new vehicle. This has been a particular point of contention for owners, and it is now completely eliminated, as everyone, apart from those who have purchased the suite on their current vehicle.
Now, everyone will pay month-to-month, and it could make things much easier for those who want to try the suite, justifying it from a financial perspective.
The important thing to note is that Tesla would benefit from a higher take rate, as more drivers using it would result in more data, which would help the company reach its recently-revealed 10 billion-mile threshold to reach an Unsupervised level. It does not cost Tesla anything to run FSD, only to develop it. If it could slice the price significantly, more people would buy it, and more data would be made available.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y continued to overwhelmingly dominate the United States’ electric vehicle market in 2025. New sales data showed that Tesla’s two mass market cars maintained a commanding segment share, with the Model 3 posting year-to-date growth and the Model Y remaining resilient despite factory shutdowns tied to its refresh.
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Model 3 and Model Y are still dominant
According to the report, Tesla delivered an estimated 192,440 Model 3 sedans in the United States in 2025, representing a 1.3% year-to-date increase compared to 2024. The Model 3 alone accounted for 15.9% of all U.S. EV sales, making it one of the highest-volume electric vehicles in the country.
The Model Y was even more dominant. U.S. deliveries of the all-electric crossover reached 357,528 units in 2025, a 4.0% year-to-date decline from the prior year. It should be noted, however, that the drop came during a year that included production shutdowns at Tesla’s Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas as the company transitioned to the new Model Y. Even with those disruptions, the Model Y captured an overwhelming 39.5% share of the market, far surpassing any single competitor.
Combined, the Model 3 and Model Y represented more than half of all EVs sold in the United States during 2025, highlighting Tesla’s iron grip on the country’s mass-market EV segment.
Tesla’s challenges in 2025
Tesla’s sustained performance came amid a year of elevated public and political controversy surrounding Elon Musk, whose political activities in the first half of the year ended up fueling a narrative that the CEO’s actions are damaging the automaker’s consumer appeal. However, U.S. sales data suggest that demand for Tesla’s core vehicles has remained remarkably resilient.
Based on Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report, Tesla’s most expensive offerings such as the Tesla Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X, all saw steep declines in 2025. This suggests that mainstream EV buyers might have had a price issue with Tesla’s more expensive offerings, not an Elon Musk issue.
Ultimately, despite broader EV market softness, with total U.S. EV sales slipping about 2% year-to-date, Tesla still accounted for 58.9% of all EV deliveries in 2025, according to the report. This means that out of every ten EVs sold in the United States in 2025, more than half of them were Teslas.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y earn Euro NCAP Best in Class safety awards
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Tesla won dual categories in the Euro NCAP Best in Class awards, with the Model 3 being named the safest Large Family Car and the Model Y being recognized as the safest Small SUV.
The feat was highlighted by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
Model 3 and Model Y lead their respective segments
As per a press release from the Euro NCAP, the organization’s Best in Class designation is based on a weighted assessment of four key areas: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles that achieved a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and were evaluated with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award.
Euro NCAP noted that the updated Tesla Model 3 performed particularly well in Child Occupant protection, while its Safety Assist score reflected Tesla’s ongoing improvements to driver-assistance systems. The Model Y similarly stood out in Child Occupant protection and Safety Assist, reinforcing Tesla’s dual-category win.
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Euro NCAP leadership shares insights
Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen said the organization’s Best in Class awards are designed to help consumers identify the safest vehicles over the past year.
Van Ratingen noted that 2025 was Euro NCAP’s busiest year to date, with more vehicles tested than ever before, amid a growing variety of electric cars and increasingly sophisticated safety systems. While the Mercedes-Benz CLA ultimately earned the title of Best Performer of 2025, he emphasized that Tesla finished only fractionally behind in the overall rankings.
“It was a close-run competition,” van Ratingen said. “Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving pricing strategy eliminates one recurring complaint
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
