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SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 booster sails into port aboard OCISLY after launch #2
SpaceX’s second Falcon 9 Block 5 booster, core B1047, has returned once more to Port Canaveral, Florida aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) after a successful flight-proven launch, placing commercial communications satellite Es’hail-2 into a healthy, high-energy orbit.
SpaceX’s third reuse of a Block 5 booster since the upgraded Falcon 9 version’s May 2018 debut, the November 15 launch marks the company’s 11th mission to launch on a flight-proven rocket in 2018 alone, more than 60% of the 18 missions completed thus far.
As seen from Exploration Tower, #SpaceX #Falcon9 B1047.2 begins docking at Port Canaveral. pic.twitter.com/bDB83Va9Lg
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) November 19, 2018
Prior to launching Es’hailsat’s Es’hail-2 satellite, Falcon 9 B1047 placed the massive ~7000 kg (15,500 lb) Telstar 19V communications satellite into orbit while also marking the second successful launch of Falcon 9’s Block 5 iteration. Nearly a new rocket, Block 5 focused on dramatically improving the reliability and reusability of the workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, ultimately translating into the total redesign and replacement of a large number of major subsystems.
The changes range from a totally new octaweb thrust structure (bolted, rather than welded, together), a clean-sweep upgrade of first and second stage avionics, new helium and nitrogen pressure vessels (COPVs), a total revamp of thermal protection for the interstage, legs, and octaweb, significantly refined Merlin 1D sea level and vacuum engines, Fairing 2.0, and much, much more. With the extensive changes brought by Block 5, SpaceX engineers strove to fully eradicate or at least cushion several unlikely but possible failure modes while also increasing the overall usable lifespan of particularly flight-critical, wear-intensive systems and components.
How many layers of soot?
Although it’s clear that some distance must still be covered before the specific goals of Block 5 can be realized, the aspiration of the design is to enable as many as 10 booster reuses with little more than thorough inspections between launches, and perhaps 100 or more launches per booster with more extensive maintenance and repairs every 10 or so launches.
The first unprecedented step in that direction – for Falcon 9 Block 5, at least – will be the third launch of a specific booster, a feat SpaceX was not willing to attempt before Block 5’s introduction. That milestone third launch was actually meant to occur on Monday, November 19 but has since been delayed to give SpaceX time to perform additional preflight inspections of Falcon 9, be it the twice-flown booster, the upper stage, the payload fairing, or all of the above.
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The #SpaceX booster being moved into place at the dock in #PortCanaveral #Falcon9 pic.twitter.com/wdbwIRWeyh
— Tom (@Cygnusx112) November 19, 2018
Given just how critical a step the launch will be for SpaceX’s long-term goal of fielding rockets with aircraft-like reusability, caution is particularly key in this case, as any partial or total failure will almost instantly soil multi-flight Falcon 9 boosters in the eyes of a number of launch customers, potentially leading customers to request launches on boosters that have previously flown less than twice. Even then, a 5-7 day delay can be extremely unsavory for many customers, as time is very frequently money for satellite operators – a satellite on the ground is essentially a black hole that devours capital and generates zero revenue, sort of like a nuclear reactor that hasn’t been connected to the grid.
B1047’s successful return to port after a second operational launch will serve as another valuable wealth of data that can be used to further optimize SpaceX’s understanding of Falcon 9 Block 5 and its capabilities.
Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
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Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
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This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
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Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
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Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla unlocks in-car web conferencing to extend Google Meet, Teams and beyond
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
