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SpaceX rocket boosters line up in port for the first time after back-to-back launches

For the first time ever, two flight-proven Falcon 9 boosters have met in port after back-to-back launches and landings. (Richard Angle)

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5 years ago

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For the first time ever, two SpaceX Falcon 9 boosters – fresh off of two successful Starlink launches and landings – have met back at Port Canaveral, creating the first rocket ‘traffic jam’ of its kind.

On March 11th, Falcon 9 booster B1058 stuck its sixth launch and landing after supporting SpaceX’s sixth dedicated Starlink launch (Starlink-20) this year. 74 hours later, a separate Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s second East Coast launch pad, successfully sending another batch of 60 Starlink satellites (Starlink-21) on their way to orbit. For its role in the mission, booster B1051 became the first Falcon first stage to launch and land nine times – just one shy of a ten-flight rocket reusability goal SpaceX has been chasing for years.

Now, aside from setting the new standard for Falcon reusability, placing 120 satellites into orbit in three days, and breaking SpaceX’s record for the shortest turnaround between two East Coast launches, the back-to-back Starlink launches have left both Falcon 9 boosters in the right place and right time to cross paths as they prepare for future flights.

Two boosters, one port. (Richard Angle)

As SpaceX began to ramp up its orbital launch cadence – largely thanks to Starlink – throughout 2020, it become clear that the company would eventually start to find new pressure points as it pushed its fleet of reusable rockets and their recovery assets to new limits. In 2021, that intentional exertion of stress across the broader SpaceX launch ‘pipeline’ has become even clearer.

A mere 10 weeks into 2021, SpaceX has already completed eight orbital launches, averaging one mission every nine days or 40 launches per year if extrapolated through the end of 2021. Just two days prior to Falcon 9 booster B1058’s arrival back at Port Canaveral after its successful Starlink-20 launch, Falcon 9 booster B1049 – last tasked with launching Starlink-17 on March 4th – wrapped up its port processing and was transported by road back to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) or Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to prepare for its ninth flight.

At that point, it became clear it was just a matter of time before two boosters would simultaneously occupy SpaceX’s Port Canaveral berths. Two days later, record-breaking Falcon 9 booster B1051 arrived back in port and was greeted by booster B1058 – legs retracted, standing vertical, and waiting to be ‘broken over’ (brought horizontal) for transport.

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It’s hard to imagine a better or (pardon the buzzword) more synergistic pair of boosters to appear in port together. On their separate launch debuts, Falcon 9 B1051 supported Crew Dragon’s spectacularly flawless uncrewed launch debut, while Falcon 9 B1058 became the first private rocket in history to launch US astronauts 14 months later. Known as Demo-1 and Demo-2, those two missions collectively mark arguably the most significant milestone in the history of modern US spaceflight, ending a decade-long period where the US was unable to launch its own astronauts.

B1058 returned to port aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions on March 14th. (Richard Angle)
B1058 awaits B1051’s arrival on March 16th. (Richard Angle)

Just a week after the rocket’s 2019 Demo-1 launch debut, Falcon 9 B1051 is SpaceX’s new booster fleet ‘life leader’ (the most-flown rocket) after averaging one launch ever 11 weeks for the last two years. Aside from supporting Cargo Dragon 2’s launch debut last December, Falcon 9 B1058 has flown six times, averaging an even more impressive one launch every eight weeks. Together, the two boosters have aced 15 orbital-class launches roughly 190 metric tons of satellites and Dragon spacecraft into orbit in their two-year career, significantly more than the maximum payload of Saturn V – the largest rocket to successfully launch.

Falcon 9 B1051 could reportedly fly for the tenth time as early as April 2021.

B1051 arrived back in port aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You on March 16th. (Richard Angle)
B1051 (left) and B1058 (right). (Richard Angle)
SpaceX could flip B1058 horizontal as early as March 16th. B1051 will likely take its place on the dockside stand for landing leg retraction later this week. (Richard Angle)
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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla eyes two new states for Robotaxi

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12 hours ago

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October 14, 2025

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Credit: @TerrapinTerpene/X

Tesla has officially shown that it is eyeing two new states for Robotaxi operation in the U.S., as it hopes to add the new areas to its ever-growing list of places where the suite is either active or in the testing phase.

Tesla first launched its Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, in late June. It expanded the suite to the San Francisco Bay Area just a month later. Since then, it has not launched any public rides in any other states, but it has gained several approvals for early testing.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

In preparation for operation in new states, Tesla routinely lists job postings on its Careers website, which helps align potential employees with opportunities ahead of regulatory approvals. This is a strategy that allows Tesla to start operations immediately upon licensing for testing.

Tesla started hiring Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in Arizona and Nevada months before the company gained any sort of approvals from state governments for Robotaxi. However, those approvals eventually came in the form of testing licenses, which allow the company to perform validation ahead of its public launch.

Tesla begins validating Robotaxi in a new area, hinting at expansion

Now, Tesla has posted job listings for Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in two new states: Colorado and Illinois. The Colorado job listing is located in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Tesla is looking for Robotaxi operators in Chicago as well.

These postings hint toward Tesla’s continuing efforts to expand Robotaxi to new places. Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said the company would like to have Robotaxi available to at least half of the U.S. population.

It has expanded significantly since its initial launch in late June, but it is still a far way off from where Tesla would like it to be by year’s end.

So far, Tesla has job listings for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and Illinois.

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Elon Musk

Tesla launched an ad for Elon Musk’s pay package on Paramount+

Published

13 hours ago

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October 14, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s advertising strategy has taken a drastic turn as the company’s upcoming Shareholder Meeting will feature perhaps the most crucial vote in its history: the approval of CEO Elon Musk’s new pay package.

For years, the issue of Tesla’s advertising and marketing strategy has been a major point of conversation for investors in fans. It seems to be split right down the middle, with half wanting Tesla to set aside some money for advertising. The other half, just the opposite.

Tesla has been transparent that the money it would spend on advertising, marketing, and public relations is better set aside for the development of future products.

However, it has recently adopted a different tone in advertising, pushing some commercials on social media platforms like X and Instagram.

For the first time, an ad was seen on streaming services like Paramount+, but it wasn’t promoting Tesla’s products directly. Instead, it was more of a message for shareholders to vote on Musk’s pay package, something Tesla feels is a necessity:

“The future of Tesla is in your hands,” the ad reads at the end. It seems as if Tesla is taking whatever steps it needs to accomplish the task of getting Musk a new pay package and retaining him as its CEO.

On September 5, Tesla officially outlined its plans for a CEO Performance Award for Musk. It would require him to lift Tesla’s market capitalization to about $8.5 trillion, up from the $1.36 trillion it sits at today.

Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

It is obvious that Tesla is really hoping to get the pay package passed and is willing to shift some of its budget to encourage shareholders to vote.

However, there are some interesting perspectives on the move, and it’s sort of strange to see Tesla not advertising its vehicles or products, but only its pay package that would get its CEO paid.

Some of those who saw the ad are questioning the strategy:

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Tesla Robotaxi testing in Arizona is ramping up quickly

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15 hours ago

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October 14, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is validating Robotaxi in a new area, and as the company has continued to gain some additional permissions to begin testing in new states, it seems its Full Self-Driving-based ride-hailing project is moving toward a larger footprint.

Two Robotaxi units with LiDAR validation equipment were spotted in Gilbert, Arizona, recently, showing that Tesla is aiming to launch its ride-hailing service in the state soon:

Another unit was spotted in Tempe, Arizona:

These types of validation vehicles have been spotted in several areas ahead of their launch as a public ride-hailing service for passengers. Tesla first launched Robotaxi in Austin, Texas, back in late June, and since then, it has expanded to the Bay Area of California.

However, Tesla has continued to attempt to expand Robotaxi to other areas as well, including Nevada and Arizona. It has also been working toward approvals in other states based on job postings, as Tesla is hiring for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in New York and Florida, as well.

The expansion of the Robotaxi ride-hailing service has been an effort that Tesla has been spending a lot of time on over the past few months. CEO Elon Musk said the expansion aims to bring Robotaxi to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

Tesla Robotaxi heads to a new major Texas city for the first time

Tesla did make its Robotaxi app public in recent months, allowing more members of the public to experience the suite for themselves, as long as they could get to Austin or the Bay Area.

In the coming months, it seems more apparent that Tesla will take a broader focus on expanding Robotaxi, especially with the fact that these validation vehicles are being spotted throughout different parts of the United States.

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