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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aces first launch of dozens planned this year
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has aced the first launch and landing of dozens planned by the company in 2021, kicking off what could be an unprecedentedly productive year.
Lifting off at 9:15 pm EST around 45 minutes into a four-hour window, SpaceX’s first mission of the year was tasked with delivering the ~3500 kg (7700 lb) Turksat 5A communications satellite to an elliptical geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) measuring roughly 200 km (~125 mi) to 36,000 km (22,500 mi) above the Earth’s surface.* Designed and built almost entirely by Europe’s Airbus Defence and Space for Turkey, the satellite is meant to expand and upgrade communications services over wide swaths of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Turkey itself.
*SpaceX actually appears to have delivered Turksat 5A to what is known as a supersynchronous GTO, meaning that the apogee (furthest point from Earth) is much higher than geostationary orbit. In the case of Turksat 5A, thanks to its relatively low launch mass, Falcon 9 was able to deploy the satellite into a healthy ~290 km by ~55,000 km (180 mi x 34,000 mi) transfer orbit. In doing so, SpaceX will have substantially cut the amount of time and/or delta V (propellant) Turksat 5A will take to circularize into its operational orbit (35,786 km x 35,786 km).
It’s believed that Turksat 5A will be used to some extent for Turkish military communications, raising controversy in light of the country’s conscious decision to directly aid the aggressor responsible for igniting the brief but bloody 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Controversy aside, Turksat 5A will now spend the next several months gradually raising its perigee (the lowest point of its orbit) until the satellite arrives at an operational geostationary orbit, where its health will be verified before entering service.
Although a key ground station used for telemetry, tracking, and communications (TT&C) was down during most of the second half of the mission, Falcon 9’s autonomous upper stage performed flawlessly. The orbital vehicle confirmed the completion of a successful orbit-raise maneuver once contact was made with SpaceX’s next ground station, followed by a smooth deployment of the Turksat 5A satellite around 33 minutes after liftoff.
For Falcon 9, Turksat 5A was booster B1060’s fourth launch in six months and represented the SpaceX’s 50th booster reuse since March 2017. B1060 performed as expected throughout the launch, shutting down and separating from the second stage two and a half minutes after liftoff traveling 2.3 km/s (1.5 mi/s), coasting to an apogee well above the Karman Line (100 km/62 mi), reentering Earth’s atmosphere, and touching down on drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) after 8.5 minutes in flight.
The Turksat 5A mission also marked the second time SpaceX has used a flight-proven Falcon payload fairing on a commercial satellite launch, while it was also the first time in several months that both twin fairing recovery ships Ms Tree and Ms Chief were deployed on the same mission. SpaceX says only Ms Chief was scheduled to attempt a fairing catch, while Ms Tree would instead try to scoop its assigned half out of the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX has three more Falcon 9 launches scheduled this month, including its first dedicated Smallsat Program mission – known as Transporter-1 – NET January 14th and two Starlink missions – V1 L16 and V1 L17 – sometime in the second half of the month.
Tesla has officially launched the Model Y L in the United States and Puerto Rico for $61,990. It is the longer-wheelbase version of the Model Y, and has been available in China since last year.
Tesla brings the Model Y L to the U.S. just months after it phased out the only pure SUV in its lineup, the Model X. It is slightly longer than the Model Y configurations that are already available in the U.S., and features a three-row, six-seat setup with Captain’s Chairs being among the many features that make this a truly fantastic offering.
The Model Y L is priced competitively at $61,990, and features 325 miles of range and a 0-60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds.
Tesla also added a handful of new features that are not available in even the Premium Model Y. Here’s a full list of its features:
- Heated/Ventilated Front Seats with Powered Thigh Cushion
- Heated/Ventilated Captain’s Seats in Second Row with Powered Armrests & One-Touch Fold
- Heated Third-Row Seats with Power Recline, One-Touch Fold & Child Seat Anchors
- Improved Airflow, Increased Efficiency, More Range
- 89 cubic feet of trunk space
- Upgraded Acoustic Glass and Suspension to Minimize Road Noise
- Adaptive Damping for a Smooth, Stable Ride
- Staggered Tires for Enhanced Grip
- Larger Tailgate for Better Rear Visibility and Bigger Windows Overall
- 16″ First Row and 8″ Second Row Touchscreens
- 19-Speaker Immersive Tesla Audio
- 50W Wireless Charging Pads with Active Cooling and Charging Ports for All Other Seats
- FSD Supervised and Integrated Grok AI
Tesla is also delivering these first units as a “Launch Series,” which comes with additional features, such as:
- Door Trim Puddle Lights
- Suede Dashboard Wing
- Exterior and Interior Badging
- Floor Mats
- Sill Plates
The launch of the Model Y L in the U.S. marks a huge offering from Tesla to U.S. consumers. People have been calling for Tesla to bring a larger car to the U.S., and it needed it more than ever now that the Model X is gone.
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- Credit: Tesla
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- Credit: Tesla
It is a huge accomplishment for Tesla to get the Model Y L to the U.S., and after reporting strong deliveries today, it will be interesting to see how this car impacts future quarterly delivery reports.
Deliveries for the Model Y L “Launch Series” are slated for September or October of this year.
Tesla just told us twice that the Model Y L is coming to the U.S., and two social media posts definitely just tipped the company’s hand, as if they wanted it to be any other way.
The two social media posts basically confirm that the slightly longer version of the Model Y will be heading to the United States soon, and many have speculated that the company could launch the vehicle as soon as this weekend.
The first post was directly from Tesla, and it showed an incredibly long Dachshund, with words above that said, “Looking forward to the long weekend.”
Looking forward to the long weekend pic.twitter.com/URzH6zOUdn
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 1, 2026
Anyone who knows Tesla knows the company loves to troll its fans and have fun, and this is a perfect example of that. While not a direct acknowledgement, Tesla is very involved on social media, especially CEO Elon Musk’s platform X, and the company is well aware of what is being discussed within the community.
With recent sightings of Model Y L test mules in California, peeks of the vehicle at Giga Texas, and a large call for the car to come to the U.S., Tesla is simply stoking conversation with this.
However, the company also made another move that was recognized on social media. Tesla has a large gallery that includes photos of its products so media and others can use them. This gallery applies to the U.S. market specifically, unless otherwise specified.
Tesla uploaded a Model Y L to the Gallery last night:
This looks like a Model Y L https://t.co/TpnBwrLmH9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 2, 2026
This seems to be another indication that the Model Y L is coming to the United States.
Musk said last year that the Model Y L could make its way to the United States late this year, but it was not something that was set in stone by Tesla. The company definitely needs to establish something in the SUV market that is larger than the Model Y, and the Model Y L might be the answer.
Even still, there are consumers out there who would love Tesla to develop something even larger, like a competitor to the Tahoe or Expedition. Tesla has not really given much of an indication that it will go in that direction.
Tesla is using the vehicles’ internal microphones to improve build quality, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy revealed recently.
It’s no secret that Tesla is always finding ways to make its manufacturing operations more efficient, accurate, and valuable. Constantly trying to make its cars better, the company has never placed any restrictions on what it will do to improve everything from panel gaps to paint.
As Teslas have been driving autonomously on the property of the Gigafactory Texas plant for a while now, Moravy revealed to Herbert Ong in a new interview that cars rolling off production lines now autonomously navigate themselves through a bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) portion of the line. This helps to identify any loose or improperly installed internal parts.
The cabin’s microphones, which are used for a variety of things in ownership, simultaneously monitor any noises inside the vehicle while it rolls through the BSR portion of the production line. Moravy actually revealed that Tesla is trying to build “Full Self-Hearing,” an AI system that will detect minor imperfections so they can be corrected before delivery.
It’s no secret that build quality is something that Tesla struggled with as it scaled to a fully massive production operation that manufactures over 1.6 million vehicles per year. However, in recent years, especially, there have not been as many complaints. Tesla has truly improved upon its build quality and paint quality over the past several years, especially in the U.S.
Tesla’s ‘megacasts’ are key to massive build quality improvements
While those improvements have been evident, there are still some complaints; no automaker is perfect with this. But this step will now ensure that every single car that rolls off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas will be void of any creaks, squeaks, or squeals when it leaves the factory.
This measure is one of the most unique we’ve seen in terms of a strategy to avoid build quality issues, but it is not exclusive to Tesla.
Ford uses acoustic analysis AI to find abnormalities in seat motors, climate control units, and other components. Suppliers and OEMs will also use microphone arrays or particle velocity sensors in end-of-line stations.
The full interview with Lars Moravy is available below:
🚨 If you’re a Tesla investor, this is one interview you don’t want to skip. The full video posted below.
Jeff Lutz @thejefflutz and I sat down with Tesla VP of Engineering Lars Moravy, and it was packed with insights!
A few of the biggest takeaways:
• Cybercab is expected to… pic.twitter.com/fhYSr2dCqP
— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) July 1, 2026
Tesla brings Model Y L ‘Launch Series’ to the U.S. at $61,990
Tesla just told us twice that Model Y L is coming to the U.S.
