News
Follow a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 booster recovery from start to finish [video]
All major aspects of SpaceX’s most recent Falcon 9 Block 5 booster recovery have been documented from start to finish, offering a solid glimpse into the work that actually goes into getting a rocket booster from the deck of a SpaceX drone ship to one of the company’s many hangars for inspections, repairs, and refurbishment.
Filmed by USLaunchReport, a SpaceX-focused nonprofit staffed by U.S. veterans, the group’s coverage of a variety of SpaceX events may not always offer the highest production quality, but the sheer tenacity and patience of those behind the cameras allow them to capture unique and interesting events that almost nobody else is keen to wait around for.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 booster sails into port aboard droneship OCISLY after successful reusehttps://t.co/zQtidwzvhp
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 21, 2018
Over the course of four videos focused on SpaceX’s recovery of Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1047, USLaunchReport offered good views of four major events that occur during all rocket recovery operations: the drone ship’s return to port, Falcon 9’s move from ship to shore, the booster’s landing leg removal (or retraction), and the booster’s transfer from a vertical to horizontal orientation and transport by road back to a SpaceX hangar.
Of Course I Still Love You arrives at Port Canaveral
As with all of Falcon 9’s drone ship landings, B1047 came to a rest on a station-keeping OCISLY several hundred miles east of the Florida coast, coincidentally landing directly in front of a giant rainbow cued by rain clouds, both visible in the background. In theory, B1047’s second landing should by no means be the rocket’s last: if Falcon 9 Block 5’s first stage upgrades are as successful as they hoped to be, the rocket could well see a productive life of 100 launches or more between now and BFR’s complete takeover.
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- Falcon 9 B1047 approaches its second successful landing aboard OCISLY. (SpaceX)
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- In a more perfect world, Falcon 9 would have been responsible for the rainbow. (SpaceX)
For at least the next 5-10 years, however, SpaceX followers will continue to be treated to spectacular Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy booster recoveries, particularly the moment when each booster sails through the narrow mouth of Port Canaveral or Port of Los Angeles, offering spectators almost unbeatable views of just-landed SpaceX rockets.
SpaceX – Last Ten Miles To Dock.
Next Men at Work. B1047.2 https://t.co/6C4YDhUpJ6— Mike Wagner (@USLaunchReport) November 21, 2018
Falcon 9’s lift from ship to shore
Soon after the drone ship docks in port, SpaceX recovery technicians install a brace and lifting jig that attaches to Falcon 9’s booster interstage, using the same mechanisms that connect the first stage to the second stage prior to stage separation. The interstage’s mechanical actuators are strong enough to support – at a minimum – the entire weight of an empty Falcon 9 booster, allowing SpaceX to simply attach the jig and lift Falcon 9 off of the drone ship with any number of large but commercially available cranes.
Rather than directly lowering the rocket and allowing it to rest directly on its landing legs again, SpaceX technicians make use of a custom-built stand that acts as a sort of barebones, static replica of the mounts Falcon 9s are attached to at SpaceX launch pads. Structurally optimized to allow Falcon 9 and Heavy to be held down on the launch pad while operating at full thrust, a series of four solid-metal attachment points interface with those hold-down clamps, attach to Falcon 9’s four landing legs, and offer an easily accessible and structurally sound method of sitting a booster upright (sans legs) and maneuvering it during recovery operations.
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- An excellent look at Block 5 booster B1048’s aft, showing off two of four launch clamp attachment points. (Pauline Acalin)
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- A view of Falcon 9 resting on said clamp attach points. (Pauline Acalin)
Once Falcon 9 is sat stably atop its recovery stand, SpaceX technicians remove the rocket’s four landing legs and their associated telescoping deployment assemblies. While SpaceX has recently begun to attempt the in-situ retraction and stowage of Falcon 9 landing legs once returned to land, a number of experimental retraction attempts appear to have produced less than satisfactory results. This time around, the retraction jig was visibly stripped and SpaceX technicians did not attempt any leg retractions. However, those recovery technicians are now so experienced and familiar with the optimized procedures that Falcon 9 booster can go from port arrival to horizontal transport to a SpaceX hangar in just a little over 48 hours, and that trend continued with B1047.2.
Good observations by @USLaunchReport. The lifting cap was stripped of the leg retraction hardware, so SpaceX is presumably changing the design of the retraction system.https://t.co/WRwLNbLKqF
— Michael Baylor (@MichaelBaylor_) November 23, 2018
From | to __
Although Falcon 9 and Heavy rockets come into their prime once vertical, the rockets spend the vast majority of their lives horizontal, either in transport from facility to facility or stationary inside a SpaceX hangar, awaiting launch, undergoing integration, or being refurbished. Translating Falcon 9’s massive ~30-ton, 135-foot-tall (41m) booster from vertical to horizontal is a feat within itself, requiring the coordinated use of two large cranes, multiple technicians with guidelines, and one of several giant booster transport jigs owned by SpaceX.
SpaceX’s seasoned recovery technicians make it look easy, but the reality is in almost polar opposition. The fact that Falcon 9’s structure is built primarily of aluminum-lithium alloy tanks with walls maybe half a centimeter (~5 mm) thick certainly doesn’t make this process any easier, as even the slightest misstep or tank depressurization (Falcon 9 is almost always pressurized with nitrogen when horizontal) could structurally compromise the rocket and result in irreparable damage.
The cherry on top
A reliable crowdpleaser, the last critical step in any Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy recovery is the booster’s careful transport – by road – from its port of call (or landing zone) to a dedicated SpaceX hangar (or factory), where the rocket can be far more thoroughly inspected, repaired, and maintained between launches. With Falcon 9 Block 5’s May 2018 introduction, the latter segment has become more important than ever before, as the upgraded rockets are already routinely conducting launches with as few as three months between them, bringing SpaceX closer than ever before to realizing a long-term aspiration of operating a fleet of rapidly and (relatively) easily reusable orbital-class rockets.
Often slowly driving just a few dozen feet from passing bystanders and traffic, this short few-mile trip from Port Canaveral to either Kennedy Space Center (KSC) or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) is typically done with Falcon 9 boosters entirely uncovered, aside from nine small booties that cover their nine Merlin 1D engines. Without unique and easily missed moments like this, it might well be just shy of impossible to get fewer than several hundred feet away from an operational SpaceX rocket, certainly a luxury but one that would still be sorely missed.
All things considered, the crew at USLaunchReport ought to be thanked for their relentless patience and commitment to getting the shot. For those of us who mean to resist the tendency for SpaceX’s sheer inertia to rapidly make the extraordinary all but mundane, these long, highly detailed, and often esoteric videos will (hopefully) never get old.
For prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet check out our brand new LaunchPad and LandingZone newsletters!
Lifestyle
Tesla Semi hauls fresh Cybercab batch as Robotaxi era takes hold
A Tesla Semi was filmed hauling Cybercab units out of Giga Texas for the first time.
A Tesla Semi loaded with Cybercab units was recently filmed leaving Gigafactory Texas, marking what appears to be the first documented delivery run of Tesla’s autonomous two-seater. The footage shows multiple Cybercabs secured on a flatbed trailer being hauled by a production Tesla Semi, a truck rated for a gross combination weight of 82,000 lbs. The location is consistent with Giga Texas in Austin, where Cybercab production has been ramping since February 2026.
The sighting follows a wave of Cybercab activity at the Austin facility. In late April, drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer spotted approximately 60 Cybercabs parked in two organized groups in the factory’s outbound lot, the largest concentration observed to date. Units being staged in an outbound lot is a standard pre-delivery step, and the Semi footage is the logical next frame in that sequence.
En route with @tesla_semi pic.twitter.com/ZfuOjaeLH1
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) May 7, 2026
This is not the first time Tesla has used its own Semi to move Tesla products. When the Semi was unveiled in 2017, Musk noted it would be used for Tesla’s own operations, and over the years Semi prototypes were spotted carrying cargo ranging from concrete weights to Tesla vehicles being delivered to consumers. In 2023, a Semi was photographed transporting a Cybertruck on a trailer ahead of that vehicle’s delivery launch.
The Cybercab itself was first revealed publicly at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where 20 pre-production units gave attendees rides around the studio lot. Musk stated at the event that Tesla intends to produce the Cybercab before 2027. The first production unit rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026, with Musk posting on X: “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab.”
Tesla’s annual production goal is 2 million Cybercabs per year once multiple factories reach full design capacity, with the company targeting a price under $30,000 per unit. Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
Cybertruck
Tesla Cybertruck too safe for even Musk’s biggest critics to ignore
Krassenstein’s decision reveals that superior safety isn’t a partisan issue. For parents prioritizing family protection over personal or political grudges, the Cybertruck has become too safe to ignore.
The Tesla Cybertruck is an extremely polarizing vehicle because of its potential symbolism as a political stance instead of just a pickup truck — or at least that is what many would want you to believe.
Of course, the Cybertruck is an icon of Tesla culture, and it is one of those things that never has a middle ground: you love it, or you don’t.
But maybe there is an establishment of that “grey area” happening.
In a striking illustration of engineering triumph over political tribalism, prominent Elon Musk critic Brian Krassenstein has purchased a Tesla Cybertruck, openly citing its exceptional safety as the deciding factor for his family.
The announcement on X triggered predictable backlash, yet it underscores a growing reality: the Cybertruck’s safety credentials are proving impossible for even Musk’s fiercest detractors to dismiss.
I might get hate for this too but I bought a Cybertruck.
With a young family, safety was important and so is not polluting the atmosphere with $5 a gallon gasoline. pic.twitter.com/XJqFqR6O9r
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) May 6, 2026
Krassenstein, who has repeatedly clashed with Musk over issues ranging from content moderation and “wokeness” to public health figures, made no attempt to hide his reservations. In his May 6 post, he acknowledged the coming criticism: “I might get hate for this too but I bought a Cybertruck.”
He stressed that the decision had “nothing to do with Elon or politics,” pointing instead to practical advantages—his existing Tesla charger, eligibility for Full Self-Driving upgrades, a returning-owner discount, and crucially, the vehicle’s strong safety profile.
With gasoline prices hovering near $5 a gallon in some areas, he also highlighted the environmental benefit of switching from a polluting combustion engine.
The numbers, data, and awards validate Krassenstein’s choice.
The 2025 Cybertruck earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) elite Top Safety Pick+ award—the only pickup truck to achieve this highest rating. It delivered “Good” scores across every crashworthiness category, including the challenging updated moderate overlap front crash test, while excelling in crash avoidance and mitigation systems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded it a perfect 5-star overall rating, with top marks in frontal, side, and rollover categories. No other pickup truck holds both distinctions simultaneously.
Tesla Cybertruck crash test rating situation revealed by NHTSA, IIHS
Beyond lab results, the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel exoskeleton and ultra-rigid structure have demonstrated remarkable real-world resilience. Owners have reported surviving high-speed collisions with minimal cabin intrusion.
In one widely discussed incident, a Cybertruck endured a 70 mph sideswipe on the interstate; the driver reported barely feeling the impact while the other vehicle was heavily damaged.
Tesla’s crash demonstrations and independent analyses consistently show how the vehicle’s design prioritizes occupant protection through a fortified passenger cell rather than traditional crumple zones, giving families superior safeguarding in many common crash scenarios.
The online pile-on following Krassenstein’s post focused on aesthetics, politics, and perceived hypocrisy rather than the data. Critics called the angular truck “ugly” or accused him of selling out.
Yet his purchase highlights an inconvenient truth for polarized discourse: when objective safety metrics—IIHS awards, NHTSA ratings, and documented crash performance—point decisively toward one vehicle, even Musk’s biggest critics are forced to confront its merits.
Krassenstein’s decision reveals that superior safety isn’t a partisan issue. For parents prioritizing family protection over personal or political grudges, the Cybertruck has become too safe to ignore.
SpaceXAI announced today that it had signed an agreement with Anthropic to give the company access to its Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, Tennessee.
It is a monumental deal as Anthropic will gain access to all of the compute at the plant, delivering more than 300 megawatts of power and over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs within the month.
Anthropic’s Claude AI account on X announced the partnership:
“We’ve agreed to a partnership with SpaceX that will substantially increase our compute capacity. This, along with our other recent compute deals, means that we’ve been able to increase our usage limits for Claude Code and the Claude API.”
The company is also:
- Doubling Claude Code’s 5-hour rate limits for Pro, Max, and Team plans;
- Removing the peak hours limit reduction on Claude Code for Pro and Max plans; and
- Substantially raising its API rate limits for Opus models.
We’ve agreed to a partnership with @SpaceX that will substantially increase our compute capacity.
This, along with our other recent compute deals, means that we’ve been able to increase our usage limits for Claude Code and the Claude API.
— Claude (@claudeai) May 6, 2026
SpaceX also published its own release on the new agreement, noting that it is “the only organization with the launch cadence, mass-to-orbit economics, and constellation operations experience to make orbital compute a near-term engineering program rather than a research concept.”
CEO Elon Musk also commented on the partnership and shed light on intense meetings he had with senior members of Anthropic last week, stating, “nobody set on my evil detector.”
Same here.
By way of background for those who care, I spent a lot of time last week with senior members of the Anthropic team to understand what they do to ensure Claude is good for humanity and was impressed.
Everyone I met was highly competent and cared a great deal about…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2026
This has turned the argument that SpaceX is as much an AI company as a space exploration company into a very valid argument:
SpaceX is following in Tesla’s footsteps in a way nobody expected
Nevertheless, this is an incredibly valuable and important move in the grand scheme of things. AI scaling is fundamentally bottlenecked by compute, and demand for Claude has surged, bringing terrestrial power grids, land, and cooling operations hitting limits everywhere.
Anthropic has been aggressively signing multiple large-scale deals to be competitive in the space, including:
- Up to 5GW with Amazon
- 5GW with Google and Broadcom
- Strategic $30b Azure deal with Microsoft/NVIDIA
- $50b U.S. infrastructure investment with Fluidstack
Access to Colossus 1 gives Anthropic immediate relief on NVIDIA GPU capacity. For SpaceXAI, it turns its rapid buildout into revenue. It also showcases its ability to deliver at world-leading speed and scale.
Most importantly, it plants the seed that its much larger vision, orbital AI compute, is totally viable.
Starlink V3 satellites could enable SpaceX’s orbital computing plans: Musk
Within the month, Anthropic will begin using 100 percent of Colossus 1’s compute, directly expanding capacity for Claude Pro and Max subscribers and the API. This means fewer limits, faster responses, and support for heavier workloads.
In the long term, meaning 2026 and beyond, there will be a continued rollout of other multi-GW deals Anthropic has signed, and an early exploration of orbital compute with SpaceXAI.
Tesla Semi hauls fresh Cybercab batch as Robotaxi era takes hold
Tesla Cybertruck too safe for even Musk’s biggest critics to ignore
