News
SpaceX drone ship returns to Los Angeles Port with recovered Falcon 9
Just over three days after SpaceX successfully launched its Iridium-2 payload and recovered the first stage aboard its Western drone ship, the autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) has returned to port to begin the process of offloading its Falcon 9 passenger.
Locals have already begun to post photos on Twitter, and at least one fan livestreamed the arrival. Higher quality photos will undoubtedly arrive soon, and the docking of a drone ship usually closely precedes SpaceX releasing photos of the first stage recovery.

Just Read the Instructions and Falcon 9 B1036 in all its soot-covered glory. (Periscope/@freddyp75)
This marks the second time that SpaceX has recovered an intact Falcon 9 on the West Coast, with the previous recovery also following an Iridium launch in January 2017. Fans might remember the unsuccessful recovery attempt following the West Coast launch of Jason-3, which gracefully fell over upon landing after one of its legs failed to lock. The octaweb and other parts of that first stage were last seen stored outside near SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California facilities.
This booster will also likely end up at Hawthorne before being sent to McGregor, Texas. However, there is also a chance that it will be transported directly to McGregor or even to the company’s Kennedy Space Center facilities for refurbishment. Given that SpaceX’s first successful reuse utilized the other recovered Iridium stage, it is all but certain that this core will be a prime suspect for reuse later this year. It will also be interesting to see how B1036’s new titanium grid fins fared when compared with the old aluminum fins.

The decidedly scenic nighttime recovery of SpaceX’s previous Iridium-1 launch. (SpaceX)
Jumping over to the East Coast, Of Course I Still Love You is currently estimated to arrive in Port Canaveral sometime tomorrow, but that could certainly slip to June 30th depending upon port traffic. The previously reused stage it is carrying was noted to have landed very hard and had a discernible lean due to the crush core in its landing legs being fully utilized. As a result, a great deal of care is likely being take in ensuring the successful return of the stage to port. Aside from making recovery a bit harder for the crew, the lean is of little concern to the actual condition of the recovered stage. For example, the only other leaning first stage has now been converted into a side booster for the upcoming debut of Falcon Heavy, following its successful launch of the Thaicom-8 satellite in May of 2016.
- Falcon 9 1029’s lean is decidedly more extreme than the stage that launched Thaicom-8. (SpaceX)
- The aggressive Atlantic Ocean landing of Thaicom-8’s Falcon 9 first stage. (SpaceX)
All things considered, it has been and will continue to be quite a birthday week for Elon Musk. Three launches – one being a successful first stage reuse – and two recoveries in nine days are a staggering accomplishment for SpaceX and a resounding affirmation of Musk’s vision of routine and affordable access to space.
Nevertheless, SpaceX and Musk of course do not sleep, and LC-39A’s transporter erector is currently inside the pad’s integration facility for a static fire tomorrow before yet another launch this Sunday.
Elon Musk
SpaceX weighs Nasdaq listing as company explores early index entry: report
The company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly leaning toward listing its shares on the Nasdaq for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could become the largest in history.
As per a recent report, the company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. The update was reported by Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the publication, SpaceX is considering Nasdaq as the venue for its eventual IPO, though the New York Stock Exchange is also competing for the listing. Neither exchange has reportedly been informed of a final decision.
Reuters has previously reported that SpaceX could pursue an IPO as early as June, though the company’s plans could still change.
One of the publication’s sources also suggested that SpaceX is targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion for its IPO. At that level, the company would rank among the largest publicly traded firms in the United States by market capitalization.
Nasdaq has proposed a rule change that could accelerate the inclusion of newly listed megacap companies into the Nasdaq-100 index.
Under the proposed “Fast Entry” rule, a newly listed company could qualify for the index in less than a month if its market capitalization ranks among the top 40 companies already included in the Nasdaq-100.
If SpaceX is successful in achieving its target valuation of $1.75 trillion, it would become the sixth-largest company by market value in the United States, at least based on recent share prices.
Newly listed companies typically have to wait up to a year before becoming eligible for major indexes such as the Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500.
Inclusion in a major index can significantly broaden a company’s shareholder base because many institutional investors purchase shares through index-tracking funds.
According to Reuters, Nasdaq’s proposed fast-track rule is partly intended to attract highly valued private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic to list on the exchange.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-2 emerges after completing new Vegas Loop tunnel
The new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.
The Boring Company announced that its Prufrock-2 tunnel boring machine (TBM) has completed another Vegas Loop tunnel in Las Vegas. The company shared the update in a post on social media platform X.
According to The Boring Company’s post, the new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.
The new tunnel marks the fourth tunnel constructed near Westgate Las Vegas as the Vegas Loop network continues expanding across the city.
The Boring Company also noted that the new tunnel surpassed its previous internal record of 2.26 miles for a single Vegas Loop segment.
Construction of the tunnel involved moving roughly 68,000 cubic yards of dirt. The excavation process also used about 4.8 miles of continuous conveyor belt, powered by six motors totaling 825 horsepower.
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-series all-electric tunnel boring machines are designed to support the rapid expansion of company’s underground transportation projects, including the growing Vegas Loop network. Prufrock machines are designed for reusability, thanks in no small part to their capability to be deployed and retrieved easily through their “porposing” feature.
The Vegas Loop, specifically the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop segment, has already been used during major events. Most recently, the LVCC Loop supported the 2026 CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction trade show, which was held from March 3-7, 2026.
As per The Boring Company, the LVCC Loop transported roughly 82,000 passengers across the convention center campus during the event’s duration.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction trade shows in North America, drawing more than 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries this year.
The LVCC Loop forms the initial segment of the broader Vegas Loop network, which remains under active development as The Boring Company continues building new tunnels throughout the city.
News
Tesla gathers Cybercab fleet in Gigafactory Texas
Images and video of the Cybercab fleet were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Tesla appears to be assembling a growing number of Cybercabs at Gigafactory Texas as preparations continue for the vehicle’s mass production. Recent footage shared online has shown over 30 Cybercabs being transported by trucks or staged near testing areas at the facility.
The images and video were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Interestingly enough, Tegtmeyer noted that many of the Cybercabs being loaded onto transport trucks were still equipped with steering wheels. This suggests that the vehicles are likely testing units rather than the final driverless configuration expected for the company’s Robotaxi service.
The vehicles could potentially be headed to testing sites across the United States as Tesla prepares to expand its Robotaxi fleet.
Additional footage captured at Gigafactory Texas also showed the Cybercab’s side and rear camera washer system operating as vehicles were being loaded onto transport trucks.
The growing number of Cybercabs at Giga Texas comes amidst the company’s announcement that the first production Cybercab has been produced at the facility. Full Cybercab production is expected to begin in April.
The vehicle is expected to play a central role in Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions as the company looks to expand autonomous ride-hailing operations beyond its early deployments using Model Y vehicles.
Tesla has also linked Cybercab production to its proposed Unboxed manufacturing process, which assembles large vehicle modules separately before integrating them. The approach is intended to reduce production costs and accelerate output.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab’s ramp will likely begin slowly due to the number of new components and manufacturing steps involved. However, he stated that once the process matures, Cybercab production could scale quickly.

