Connect with us

News

SpaceX drone ship returns to Los Angeles Port with recovered Falcon 9

Published

on

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.

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.

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.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla receives approval for FSD Supervised tests in Sweden

Tesla confirmed that it has been granted permission to test FSD Supervised vehicles across Sweden in a press release.

Published

on

Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla has received regulatory approval to begin tests of its Full Self-Driving Supervised system on public roads in Sweden, a notable step in the company’s efforts to secure FSD approval for the wider European market. 

FSD Supervised testing in Sweden

Tesla confirmed that it has been granted permission to test FSD Supervised vehicles across Sweden following cooperation with national authorities and local municipalities. The approval covers the Swedish Transport Administration’s entire road network, as well as urban and highways in the Municipality of Nacka.

Tesla shared some insights into its recent FSD approvals in a press release. “The approval shows that cooperation between authorities, municipalities and businesses enables technological leaps and Nacka Municipality is the first to become part of the transport system of the future. The fact that the driving of the future is also being tested on Swedish roads is an important step in the development towards autonomy in real everyday traffic,” the company noted. 

With approval secured for FSD tests, Tesla can now evaluate the system’s performance in diverse environments, including dense urban areas and high-speed roadways across Sweden, as noted in a report from Allt Om Elbil. Tesla highlighted that the continued development of advanced driver assistance systems is expected to pave the way for improved traffic safety, increased accessibility, and lower emissions, particularly in populated city centers.

Tesla FSD Supervised Europe rollout

FSD Supervised is already available to drivers in several global markets, including Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United States. The system is capable of handling city and highway driving tasks such as steering, acceleration, braking, and lane changes, though it still requires drivers to supervise the vehicle’s operations.

Tesla has stated that FSD Supervised has accumulated extensive driving data from its existing markets. In Europe, however, deployment remains subject to regulatory approval, with Tesla currently awaiting clearance from relevant authorities.

The company reiterated that it expects to start rolling out FSD Supervised to European customers in early 2026, pending approvals. It would then be unsurprising if the company secures approvals for FSD tests in other European territories in the coming months. 

Continue Reading

News

Tesla owners in Sweden get direct attention from pro-union groups

As part of their efforts, the group has started distributing informational leaflets to Tesla vehicles across Stockholm, urging them to pressure the electric vehicle maker to sign a collective agreement.

Published

on

Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Amid Tesla Sweden’s ongoing conflict with trade union IF Metall, a group of pro-union supporters has begun directing their attention to actual Tesla owners.

As part of their efforts, the group has started distributing informational leaflets to Tesla vehicles across Stockholm, urging them to pressure the electric vehicle maker to sign a collective agreement.

Leaflets on parked Tesla vehicles

As noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report, participants of the protest place yellow information slips on parked Tesla vehicles across parts of Stockholm. The slips resemble parking notices that contain information related to the unions’ ongoing strike against Tesla Sweden.

Participants involved in the activity said the leaflets were intended to inform consumers rather than target individual owners. The action was carried out in public areas, with leaflets placed on windshields of parked vehicles. When vehicle owners are present, organizers said they provide verbal explanations of the labor dispute.

Tesla has not commented publicly about the matter as of writing.

Recurring demonstrations against Tesla

The leaflet distribution effort follows weekly demonstrations that have taken place outside Tesla’s workshop and office in Upplands Väsby, where protesters typically gather to express support for a collective agreement. Those demonstrations have included informational outreach to customers and workers and, at times, police presence, according to prior reporting.

In a comment, one of the protesters stated that even Tesla owners must be concerned about the unions’ conflict with the electric vehicle maker. “You may think it doesn’t concern you, as you only drive a car. But it does, as we all have a responsibility for the rules in Sweden. 

“We are not looking to hunt down individual Tesla owners. Rather, this is a way to spread opinion and increase pressure on Tesla. It should have some impact if several Tesla owners come in and say that you should sign a collective agreement,” one of the protesters stated. 

Continue Reading

News

Tesla lands massive deal to expand charging for heavy-duty electric trucks

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Semi/X

Tesla has landed a massive deal to expand its charging infrastructure for heavy-duty electric trucks — and not just theirs, but all manufacturers.

Tesla entered an agreement with Pilot Travel Centers, the largest operator of travel centers in the United States. Tesla’s Semi Chargers, which are used to charge Class 8 electric trucks, will be responsible for providing energy to various vehicles from a variety of manufacturers.

The first sites are expected to open later this Summer, and will be built at select locations along I-5 and I-10, major routes for commercial vehicles and significant logistics companies. The chargers will be available in California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.

Each station will have between four and eight chargers, delivering up to 1.2 megawatts of power at each stall.

The project is the latest in Tesla’s plans to expand Semi Charging availability. The effort is being put forth to create more opportunities for the development of sustainable logistics.

Senior Vice President of Alternative Fuels at Pilot, Shannon Sturgil, said:

“Helping to shape the future of energy is a strategic pillar in meeting the needs of our guests and the North American transportation industry. Heavy-duty charging is yet another extension of our exploration into alternative fuel offerings, and we’re happy to partner with a leader in the space that provides turnkey solutions and deploys them quickly.”

Tesla currently has 46 public Semi Charger sites in progress or planned across the United States, mostly positioned along major trucking routes and industrial areas. Perhaps the biggest bottleneck with owning an EV early on was charging availability, and that is no different with electric Class 8 trucks. They simply need an area to charge.

Tesla is spearheading the effort to expand Semicharging availability, and the latest partnership with Pilot shows the company has allies in the program.

The company plans to build 50,000 units of the Tesla Semi in the coming years, and with early adopters like PepsiCo, DHL, and others already contributing millions of miles of data, fleets are going to need reliable public charging.

Tesla is partnering with other companies for the development of the Semi program, most notably, a conglomeration with Uber was announced last year.

Tesla lands new partnership with Uber as Semi takes center stage

The ride-sharing platform plans to launch the Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program, which it calls a “first-of-its-kind buyer’s program designed to make electric freight more affordable and accessible by addressing key adoption barriers.”

The Semi is one of several projects that will take Tesla into a completely different realm. Along with Optimus and its growing Energy division, the Semi will expand Tesla to new heights, and its prioritization of charging infrastructure.

Continue Reading