News
SpaceX Falcon 9 fires up ahead of second to last 2019 launch and landing
SpaceX has successfully static fired a Falcon 9’s booster engines ahead of its second to last launch and landing of 2019, on track to make December the company’s busiest month of the year.
About a month after successfully lofting 60 Starlink satellites and 11 days after sending Cargo Dragon on its way to the ISS for CRS-19, SpaceX has two more launch scheduled in 2019: Kacific-1 no earlier than (NET) December 16th and Starlink-2 NET December 30th.
For SpaceX, the turn of the decade will mark the end of an historic year – let alone decade – of milestones for the intrepid commercial space company, including achievements like’s Crew Dragon flawless orbital launch debut, the fourth flight of a refurbished Falcon 9 booster, the first-ever reuse of a flight-proven payload fairing, and a duo of spectacular Starhopper flight tests to name just a few.
First up, SpaceX will fly twice-flown Falcon 9 booster B1056.3 for the third time. B1056.3 previously supported CRS-17 and CRS-18, back to back Cargo Dragon space station resupply missions for NASA. Currently targeting a Monday, December 16th launch, SpaceX is set to place the jointly-owned JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 broadband communication satellite for Japan’s Sky Perfect JSAT Corp. and Singapore’s self-proclaimed “next-generation broadband satellite operator”, Kacific Broadband Satellites.
According to a Kacific, after deploying from Falcon 9 and circularizing into a geostationary orbit some 22,000 miles (36,000km) over the Asia-Pacific region, the JCSAT-18/Kaficic-1 satellite “will stream broadband to 25 nations in South East Asia and the Pacific Islands via 56 spot beams.” All told, the satellite will offer a maximum bandwidth of 70 gigabits per second (Gbps) with each spot beam serving up to 1.25 Gbps.
Kacific was founded in 2013 by CEO Christian Patouraux to provide desperately needed communication services to the Asia Pacific region, “where high prices and unsuitable technology were prohibiting access.” Kacific looks to “provide high speed, affordable and accessible internet to extra-urban, rural, and remote users” with Kacific-1, the company’s first (partially) dedicated satellite.
Ahead of Monday’s launch attempt, the JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 satellite was fully encapsulated inside Falcon 9’s payload fairing, both halves of which SpaceX will try to catch with recovery vessels GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief in what will be the company’s first simultaneous catch attempt ever. Meanwhile, B1056 has its own recovery attempt penciled in and drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) departed Port Canaveral on December 12th, headed ~650 km (400 mi) downrange. OCISLY arrived at its recovery zone earlier today, as did Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief, now stationed about 140 km (90 mi) further East.
As per usual, Falcon 9 B1056.3 and its expendable upper stage performed a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and static fire, identical to launch operations minus the rocket actually lifting off. The Kacific-1 mission’s December 16th launch trajectory allows for an 88-minute window from 7:10 pm – 8:38 pm EST (0010-0138 UTC, December 17) and weather forecasts are currently 90% go.
As mentioned, twin fairing recovery vessels GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief departed Port Canaveral on December 13th in a bid to attempt their first simultaneous Falcon fairing recovery, meaning that each ship will attempt to catch one parasailing fairing half. This mission is technically the second time both ships have port left together for a recovery, but their first whole-airing catch attempt was called off before it could start due to rough seas and high winds in the Atlantic Ocean. Prior to being rechristened Ms. Tree, Mr. Steven suffered severe damage during a planned February 2019 catch attempt, losing its net and two of four arms after the ship was caught in high seas.
Following Kacific-1, SpaceX’s final launch of 2019 – barring delays – will likely be the company’s second dedicated Starlink v1.0 mission, a 60-satellite payload that will almost certainly make SpaceX the world’s largest commercial satellite operator. Starlink-2 is scheduled to launch NET December 30th.
SpaceX will stream Falcon 9’s Kacific-1 launch and landing and the webcast will kick off some 15 minutes before liftoff, NET 6:55 pm ET (23:55 UTC), December 16th.
Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.
Investor's Corner
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon. Musk replied, basically confirming it.
Elon Musk confirmed through a post on X that a SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) is on the way after hinting at it several times earlier this year.
It also comes one day after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was aiming for a valuation of $1.5 trillion, adding that it wanted to raise $30 billion.
Musk has been transparent for most of the year that he wanted to try to figure out a way to get Tesla shareholders to invest in SpaceX, giving them access to the stock.
He has also recognized the issues of having a public stock, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon.
Musk replied, basically confirming it:
As usual, Eric is accurate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Berger believes the IPO would help support the need for $30 billion or more in capital needed to fund AI integration projects, such as space-based data centers and lunar satellite factories. Musk confirmed recently that SpaceX “will be doing” data centers in orbit.
AI appears to be a “key part” of SpaceX getting to Musk, Berger also wrote. When writing about whether or not Optimus is a viable project and product for the company, he says that none of that matters. Musk thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.
It seems like Musk has certainly mulled something this big for a very long time, and the idea of taking SpaceX public is not just likely; it is necessary for the company to get to Mars.
The details of when SpaceX will finally hit that public status are not known. Many of the reports that came out over the past few days indicate it would happen in 2026, so sooner rather than later.
But there are a lot of things on Musk’s plate early next year, especially with Cybercab production, the potential launch of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and the Roadster unveiling, all planned for Q1.
Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.
BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.
Welcome @BMW owners.
Download the Tesla app to charge → https://t.co/vnu0NHA7Ab
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 10, 2025
Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:
- i4: 2022-2026 model years
- i5: 2024-2025 model years
- 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
- i7: 2023-2026 model years
- iX: 2022-2025 model years
- 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026
With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.
So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:
- Audi
- BMW
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kia
- Lucid
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.
They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.
News
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.
Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:
Interesting. The location arrow in the Tesla app now points to your car when you’re nearby. pic.twitter.com/b0yjmwwzxN
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) December 7, 2025
In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.
Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:
The nice little touch that Tesla have put in the app – continuous tracking of your vehicle location relative to you.
There’s people reporting dizziness testing this.
To those I say… try spinning your phone instead. 😉 pic.twitter.com/BAYmJ3mzzD
— Some UK Tesla Guy (UnSupervised…) (@SomeUKTeslaGuy) December 8, 2025
Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.
However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.
It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.
Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.
🚨 Tesla App v4.51.5 looks to be preparing for the Holiday Update pic.twitter.com/ztts8poV82
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 8, 2025
All in all, this App update was pretty robust.
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025
