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SpaceX Falcon 9 booster and first thrice-flown fairing return to port [photos]
In a period of just 12 hours last Friday, SpaceX successfully returned Falcon 9 booster B1058 and two payload fairing halves to Port Canaveral and a photographer-laden helicopter was airborne to capture it.
With its safe return to dry land, fairing recovery ship GO Ms. Tree’s bullseye catch of an already twice-flown fairing all but guarantees that the record-breaking payload fairing will have a chance to launch a fourth time in the near future. Meanwhile, Falcon 9 booster B1058 – the first US-built rocket to launch US astronauts since June 2011 – will soon be well on its way to its own fourth flight, likely for one of several dozen Starlink missions SpaceX aims to launch in the next ~15 months.
Aside from placing what CEO Elon Musk says is the last batch of satellites needed to kick off the Starlink internet network’s first public beta tests, the Starlink-12 mission was SpaceX’s 17th this year, leaving the company on track to beat its annual launch record by at least a small margin.
If SpaceX continues to follow its 2020 average of one Falcon 9 launch ever ~16.4 days, the company will likely end the year with 22 missions under its belt, narrowly beating the 21 launches it completed in 2018. If it follows its launch average – ~12.8 days per launch – from just the last four or so months, however, SpaceX could crush its record with some 24 or 25 launches this year. Given recent disruptions from reliably bad weather and a rare last-second launch abort, which trajectory SpaceX will follow over the next ~12 weeks is entirely up in the air.
Regardless of the outcome, though, reusability will have played a foundational role to a degree thus far unprecedented. Barring a major surprise, SpaceX will end 2020 having launched just five new Falcon 9 boosters – three of which will likely launch within the last two months of the year.
For fairing recovery and reuse, 2020 has been an even more groundbreaking, seeing SpaceX (seemingly) begin to find steadier footing with increasingly consistent fairing catches. Impressively, in the measly 11 months since SpaceX first reused a Falcon fairing, nearly a third of all launches and almost half of all Starlink missions have flown with one or two flight-proven halves. Recently, Musk even revealed that SpaceX intends for fairings and boosters to be capable of at least 10 launches each, confirming that Starlink-12’s now thrice-flown fairing half is no fluke.
Drone ship Of Course I Still Love You’s (OCISLY) successful Starlink-12 booster recovery ended an agonizing three weeks of back and forth as SpaceX was tugged in a circle by ULA’s launch priority, technical difficulties, and stormy summer weather. Originally meant to recover Falcon 9 booster B1058 as early as mid-September, the launch slowly slipped its way to October 6th. Beginning in late-September, drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) joined the fray for its role in SpaceX’s GPS III SV04 launch for the US military, a launch that would also find itself delayed several times.
Two seconds before liftoff, new Falcon 9 booster B1062 automatically aborted its October 2nd launch attempt due to bad pressure readings in at least one of its nine Merlin 1D engines. SpaceX has since taken the rocket horizontal and is likely swapping multiple engines, possibly necessitating a second static fire test before the next attempt sometime later this month. That abort has also delayed SpaceX’s second NASA astronaut launch (Crew-1) from Halloween to mid-November to ensure no commonality.
SpaceX has an absolutely jam-packed fourth quarter ahead of it, ranging from GPS III SV04 and Crew-1 to a Sirius XM radio satellite, a Turkish communications satellite, and the joint NASA/ESA/CNES Sentinel 6A oceanography spacecraft. Stay tuned for updates and spectacular new photos from the Teslarati team.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Biggest Revelations on AI, Robots, and the Future of Work from the Moonshots Podcast
Elon Musk’s appearance on the Moonshots with Peter Diamandis podcast was packed with bold predictions, candid admissions, and surprising tech insights. The nearly three-hour conversation covered everything from artificial intelligence to humanoid robots, geopolitics, and the future of work. Here are the top 10 most intriguing takeaways:
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Aggressive AGI Timeline Predictions
Musk offered a detailed view on when artificial general intelligence (AGI) could emerge, suggesting it may arrive sooner than many expect, emphasizing both transformative potential and risks.
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U.S. vs. China in the AI Race
He discussed the strategic competition between the United States and China over AI development, noting that geopolitical dynamics will shape how and who leads in the next decades.
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Future of Job Markets
Musk touched on how AI and automation could reshape employment, predicting massive boosts in productivity alongside potential disruptions in traditional work structures.
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Clean Energy Transition
A recurring theme was the role of clean energy in future economies, with Musk reiterating the importance of scaling sustainable power generation and storage.
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Humanoid Robots Are Coming
On the podcast, Musk elaborated on Tesla’s work on humanoid robots, hinting at timelines and applications that go beyond factories to general-purpose assistance.
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Tesla Roadster “Last Human-Driven Car”
Outside the core discussion topics, Musk teased features of the upcoming Tesla Roadster — calling it “the best of the last of the human-driven cars” and suggesting safety won’t be its main selling point.
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The Role of AI in Clean Energy and Robotics
Linking AI to both energy optimization and robotics, Musk explained how smarter systems could accelerate decarbonization and task automation across industries.
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U.S. Innovation Leadership
Musk argued that maintaining American leadership in key tech sectors like AI, space, and robotics should be a national priority, with thoughtful policy and investment.
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Job Creation vs. Job Elimination
While acknowledging automation’s disruptive effects, he also outlined scenarios where new industries and opportunities could emerge, particularly in AI, space, and advanced manufacturing.
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Long-Term Vision for Humanity
Throughout the conversation, Musk revisited his long-term philosophical views — including a belief in humanity’s responsibility to become a multi-planetary and technologically empowered species.
Whether you agree with Musk’s optimism or not, the podcast offers a window into the thinking of one of the most influential figures in tech today, in and why his visions continue to spark debate and inspiration.
Elon Musk appeared on the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis today to discuss AGI, U.S. vs. China, Tesla, and some other interesting topics, but there was some discussion about the upcoming unveiling of the Roadster, the company’s electric supercar that will arrive several years after it was initially slated for release.
Musk made some pretty amazing claims about the Roadster; we already know it is supposed to be lightning-fast and could even hover, if Tesla gets everything to happen the way it wants to. However, the car has some pretty crazy capabilities, some of which have not even been revealed.
On the podcast, Musk said:
“This is not a…safety is not the main goal. If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal. I say, if safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster…We’ll aspire not to kill anyone in this car. It’ll be the best of the last of the human-driven cars. The best of the last.”
🚨 Elon on the Roadster unveiling, scheduled for April 1:
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 6, 2026
Musk makes a good point: people who buy expensive sports cars with ridiculous top speeds and acceleration rates do not buy them to be safe. They hope they are safe in case of an emergency or crash, but safety is not at the forefront of their thoughts, because nobody buys a car thinking they’ll crash it.
The Roadster is truly going to push the limits and capabilities of passenger vehicles; there’s no doubt about that. Tesla plans to show off the new version car for the first time on April 1, and Musk has only hinted at what is possible with it.
Musk said back in November:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Production is set to begin between 12 and 18 months after the unveiling, which would put the car out sometime in 2027. Hopefully, Tesla is able to stay on track with the scheduling of the Roadster; many people have been waiting a long time for it.
News
Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility.
Tesla has launched a hiring initiative for its Robotaxi program in its twentieth country, as the company posted two new jobs in Thailand this week.
Tesla is hiring in Bangkok and Kowloon for the Vehicle Operator position, which is related to data collection, and is the first in Thailand, but the twentieth country overall, as the company tries to expand into other markets.
🚨 BREAKING: Tesla is hiring additional full-time Vehicle Operators in Bangkok, Thailand.
Previous openings were 6-month, part-time roles. These are equivalent to AI Safety Operator roles in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/R6LzoU1bos— Tesla Yoda (@teslayoda) January 5, 2026
Tesla has had active job postings for Vehicle Operator positions in the United States, India, Israel, Taiwan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Norway, Italy, and Turkey in past listings.
These postings are not all currently available, likely because the roles have been filled.
Thailand is the most recent, and broadens the company’s potential path to expanding its ride-hailing program, which is only active in the United States in Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area, so far.
These roles typically involve data collection, which assists in improving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving operation. Tesla’s self-driving programs utilize real-world data that is accumulated and stored, observing vehicle and traffic behavior, as well as tendencies that are performed by human drivers to help increase safety and overall performance.
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility. Although the company has several high-profile rivals and competitors in the field, it has established itself as a main player and a leader in the development of autonomous technology, especially in the U.S., as its FSD suite is refined on almost a weekly basis.
The Full Self-Driving suite is available in seven countries and territories currently, including the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, and New Zealand. Its biggest goal for expansion is currently the European market, where regulatory hurdles have been the main bottleneck prolonging its launch on the continent.
Tesla has performed months of testing in various European countries, including France and Spain, and does have support in some areas from various regulatory agencies. However, the company is hoping to get through this red tape and offer its suite in Europe for the first time, hopefully this year.
Elon Musk’s Biggest Revelations on AI, Robots, and the Future of Work from the Moonshots Podcast
Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster
