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SpaceX fairing catcher Mr. Steven to attempt first Falcon fairing catch in months

Mr. Steven shows off an odd new mini-net 24 hours before heading out to sea. (Pauline Acalin)

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Currently stationkeeping in the Pacific Ocean 220 miles (350 km) south of SpaceX’s Vandenberg launch pad, it’s starting to look like SpaceX fairing catcher Mr. Steven will soon attempt its first operational Falcon 9 fairing recovery in more than four months.

On the tail of the SpaceX’s fourth or fifth controlled fairing drop test, a series of tests that coincided with Mr. Steven attempting no recovery during the last West Coast launch, it’s possible that SpaceX engineers now believe the company is ready to successfully catch a fairing after an actual Falcon 9 launch. If so, the twice-flown Falcon 9’s third launch – with Spaceflight’s SSO-A satellite rideshare mission in tow – is the best chance yet for SpaceX to take its last critical step towards fairing reusability.

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Over the last four months, Mr. Steven’s crew of SpaceX and GO engineers and technicians have gradually introduced significant modifications to the vessel’s fairing recovery hardware, including major changes to the net’s motorized rigging, the installation of a curious lone arm on his bow, and – most recently – an odd mini-net that appears to be able to move around the gap  between Mr. Steven’s main net and deck.

Aside from extensive (albeit subtle) hardware modifications, SpaceX workers conducted no less than four dedicated fairing drop tests, in which a helicopter would lift a specially-modified Falcon fairing half, releasing it around 10,000 feet so that it could deploy its parafoil and glide towards attempted soft landings in Mr. Steven’s net. While it’s almost impossible to know without official confirmation whether any drop test actually occurred, the fairing half involved clearly survived each trip out to sea and is currently stationed out of the way at SpaceX’s Berth 240 facilities.

Mr. Steven returned to Port of San Pedro around on October 8th after a day spent at sea, apparently with a Falcon fairing half in tow. This is the second known time that a fairing has been in Mr. Steven’s net. The fairing was eventually lifted off around noon the following day. (Pauline Acalin)

At one point, the recognizable test-specific fairing half did return to port in Mr. Steven’s net and remained there overnight, perhaps indicating that SpaceX saw some success with its experimental drop-and-catch tests. A step further, while it’s fairly easy to literally discern the changes made to Mr. Steven over the last several months, it’s impossible to know just how much the fairing’s own guidance and navigation computers (GNC) and aerodynamic control surfaces (a steerable parafoil) factored into several failed recovery attempts after launches.

More likely than not, Mr. Steven is no more responsible for ensuring fairings are caught than SpaceX’s drone ships are for Falcon 9 booster landings – the most they can typically do is be in the right spot at the right time, although Mr. Steven does admittedly have a bit more flexibility to adjust his net’s position at the last second. Given that SpaceX intentionally avoided a fairing recovery attempt during October 7’s West Coast Falcon 9 launch, choosing instead to travel to the vicinity of Catalina Island for controlled experiments, it seems improbable that SpaceX would attempt another post-launch fairing recovery unless if the program’s engineers hadn’t gained some level of additional confidence.

 

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As such, the launch of SSO-A – already a milestone by thanks to its twice-flown Falcon 9 booster – may also be SpaceX’s best chance yet at successfully catching a Falcon 9 payload fairing in Mr. Steven’s net. Questions remain, of course. What does his cabled unicorn horn accomplish? Why the recent installation of a tiny secondary net? What exactly has Mr. Steven been up to lately in the Pacific Ocean? Who knows, but make sure to watch SpaceX’s launch attempt – NET 10:32 am PST (17:32 UTC) December 3rd – live tomorrow.

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 just unlocked sales to 50,000+ government agencies

It marks a significant step in expanding Tesla’s presence in the public sector, where procurement processes have traditionally slowed electric vehicle adoption.

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Credit: Patrick Bean | X

Tesla just unlocked sales to over 50,000 government agencies by entering a new agreement with Sourcewell, a purchasing cooperative.

Tesla entered a new master purchasing agreement with Sourcewell, the largest government purchasing cooperative in the U.S. This will enable streamlined sales of its EVs to more than 50,000 U.S. public entities. Tesla entered Designated Contract 0813525-TES, and the agreement covers Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck, and potentially other vehicles the company could release.

It marks a significant step in expanding Tesla’s presence in the public sector, where procurement processes have traditionally slowed electric vehicle adoption.

The deal allows eligible agencies, including cities, school districts, state governments, and higher-education institutions, to purchase Tesla vehicles directly through Sourcewell without conducting their own lengthy competitive bidding or request-for-proposal (RFP) processes.

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Pricing is pre-negotiated and capped, providing transparency and predictability. Agencies simply register for a Sourcewell account online or by phone and place orders under the existing contract. This cooperative model aggregates demand across thousands of members, reducing administrative costs and time while ensuring compliance with public procurement rules.

For Tesla, the agreement removes major barriers to government fleet sales. Public-sector procurement cycles often stretch 12 to 18 months due to bidding requirements and committee reviews.

Tesla buyers in the U.S. military can get $1,000 off Cybertruck purchases

By securing the master contract, Tesla gains immediate, simplified access to a massive customer base that previously faced friction in adopting EVs. The company highlighted in its announcement that the partnership will help these 50,000-plus agencies “save thousands of $$$ in operating costs for their vehicle fleet over time” through lower maintenance, energy efficiency, and the elimination of tailpipe emissions.

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The initial four-year term runs through November 13, 2029, with options for up to three one-year extensions, offering long-term stability for both parties.

Sourcewell’s role is central to execution. As a cooperative purchasing organization, it negotiates and manages vendor contracts on behalf of its members, then makes them available nationwide. Participating entities contact Tesla’s dedicated fleet team or Sourcewell representatives to complete purchases, bypassing redundant paperwork.

This structure accelerates fleet electrification while maintaining fiscal accountability—agencies receive pre-vetted pricing and terms without reinventing the wheel for each vehicle order.

The partnership positions Tesla to capture a larger share of the public fleet market, where total cost of ownership often favors electric vehicles once procurement hurdles are removed.

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For government buyers, it translates to faster deployment of sustainable fleets, reduced long-term expenses, and alignment with environmental mandates. As more agencies transition, the contract could contribute to broader EV infrastructure growth and taxpayer savings across the country.

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How much of SpaceX will Elon Musk own after IPO will surprise you

SpaceX’s IPO filing confirms Musk will maintain his voting power to make key decisions for the company.

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Rendering of Elon Musk overlooking a Starship fleet (Credit: Grok)

Elon Musk will retain dominant voting control of SpaceX after it goes public, according to the company’s IPO prospectus that was filed with the SEC. The filing reveals a dual-class equity structure giving Class B shareholders 10 votes each, concentrating power with Musk and a handful of other insiders, while Class A shares sold to public investors carry one vote.

Musk holds approximately 42% of SpaceX’s equity and controls roughly 79% of its votes through super-voting shares. He will simultaneously serve as CEO, CTO, and chairman of the nine-member board after the listing. Beyond that, the filing includes provisions that may limit shareholders’ influence over board elections and legal actions, forcing disputes into arbitration and restricting where they can be brought.

The case for Musk holding this level of control is grounded in SpaceX’s actual history. The company’s most important bets, from reusable rockets to a global satellite internet constellation, were decisions that ran against conventional aerospace thinking and would likely have faced resistance from a board accountable to investor gains. Fully reusable rockets were considered economically irrational by established industry players for years. Starlink, which now generates over $4 billion in annual operating profit, was widely dismissed as financially unviable when it was proposed. The argument for concentrated founder control seems straightforward, and the decisions that built SpaceX into what it is today required someone willing to ignore consensus and absorb years of losses.

SpaceX files confidentially for IPO that will rewrite the record books

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For context, Musk’s position is significantly more dominant than Zuckerberg’s at Meta. The comparison with Tesla is also worth noting. When Tesla did its IPO in 2010, it did not issue dual-class shares. Musk has only recently pushed for enhanced voting protection, proposing at least 25% control at Tesla in 2024 after selling shares to fund his Twitter acquisition left him with around 13%.

SpaceX has clearly learned from that experience and structured the IPO differently by planning to allocate up to 30% of shares to retail investors, roughly three times the typical norm for a large offering. The roadshow is expected to begin the week of June 8, with a Nasdaq listing rumored to be a $1.75 trillion valuation and a $75 billion raise.

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Tesla bolsters App with new safety, insurance, and storage features

The Tesla Smartphone App is one of the biggest and best features and advantages owners have. Everything from moving the vehicle with Summon, to getting Navigation sent to the car, to preconditioning the cabin can be done with the Tesla App.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is bolstering its smartphone App with a series of new features to streamline operations for owners. The new additions include fixes to safety, its in-house insurance offering, and storage management for Dashcam clips.

The Tesla Smartphone App is one of the biggest and best features and advantages owners have. Everything from moving the vehicle with Summon, to getting Navigation sent to the car, to preconditioning the cabin can be done with the Tesla App.

But in classic Tesla fashion, the company is aiming to improve the offerings of the app, and it is doing so with a handful of new features. They were first discovered by Tesla App Updates.

Tesla Insurance – Safety Score 3.0

This is truly part of the Spring 2026 Update, but Tesla has now given more transparency on how FSD has saved people money on their premiums.

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Tesla intertwines FSD with in-house Insurance for attractive incentive

Additionally, Tesla is now automatically awarding a Safety Score of 100 for every mile traveled on Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

Update Tracking

Updates traditionally appear on the App or on the Center Touchscreen in the car. There is nothing better than seeing that Green Arrow at the top of the screen, or opening your app and seeing that there is a Software Update available.

Now, there will be no need to manually check the app and initiate the download. Tesla is enabling a new feature that will automatically download updates for you.

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Storage Management

Your USB drive can now be remotely formatted, and old Dashcam clips can be deleted straight from the phone. When you record a lot of things using the Dashcam feature, that storage fills up pretty quickly.

Now, manually deleting the Dashcam videos is easier than ever.

Trailer Light Test

This is perhaps the coolest and most crucial addition to the Tesla App, as those who tow and haul will now be able to trigger a diagnostic light sequence from the app while standing behind your trailer to ensure the brake lights work.

Verifying your trailer lights are connected properly and operating normally and as intended is normally a massive hassle.

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Now, a new trigger will be available to initiate a diagnostic light sequence directly from your phone.

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