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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aces eighth launch and “envelope expansion” landing

Falcon 9 B1051 lifts off with 60 new Starlink satellites, becoming the first Falcon booster to launch eight times. (Richard Angle)

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SpaceX has successfully completed the first of dozens of Starlink launches planned in 2021, simultaneously crushing multiple rocket reusability records and completing an “envelope expansion” booster landing at sea.

Ending several days of delays, Falcon 9 booster B1051, an expendable upper stage, a flight-proven payload fairing, and 60 new Starlink satellites lifted off at 8:02 am EST, kicking off SpaceX’s 16th operational Starlink mission and 17th Starlink launch overall. Roughly an hour later, after spinning up end over end, Falcon 9’s orbital second stage successfully released all 60 satellites to complete an exceptionally milestone-rich mission.

Starlink-16 is such a significant mission for several different reasons.

Falcon 9 B1051 lifts off with 60 new Starlink satellites, becoming the first Falcon booster to launch eight times. (Richard Angle)

First and foremost, as previously discussed on Teslarati, Falcon 9 B1051 simultaneously crushed the world-record for rocket turnaround and became the first booster to successfully launch and land eight times, making it SpaceX’s “life-leader” in multiple ways.

Last flown for the seventh time on December 13th, Falcon 9 B1051 is now scheduled to attempt its eighth orbital-class launch and landing just 36 days later, beating the 51-day world record by almost a third (~30%) and simultaneously becoming the first Falcon booster to launch eight times. If successful, SpaceX’s Falcon rockets will be mere days away from demonstrating monthly reusability.”

Teslarati.com – January 17th, 2021

Delayed from January 17th to the 20th, that schedule didn’t hold exactly but B1051 did still become the first reusable rocket to drop below the 40-day turnaround mark, completing two launches and landings in 38 days, crushing the previous world record of 51 days (also held by Falcon 9) by almost two weeks.

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Bearing the soot seven orbital-class launches and landings, Falcon 9 B1051 stands vertical at Pad 39A on the morning of January 20th. (Richard Angle)

Those milestones alone are major achievements for SpaceX’s workhorse rocket, leaving the Falcon Block 5 design upgrade just two flights away from achieving its 10-flight design goal and seven or eight days away from monthly reusability. The fact alone that SpaceX’s turnaround timing appears to be accelerating for fleet-leader (most flown) boosters serves as a clear sign that the design has almost certainly achieved that 10-flight goal and is likely capable of far more flights still. If that trend continues, Falcon 9 B1051 could complete its ninth and tenth flights as early as March and April.

Additionally, while a 38-day turnaround is significantly more than a magnitude away from CEO Elon Musk’s long-held goal of 24-hour reusability, it does represent an order-of-magnitude improvement from SpaceX’s first booster reuses, which averaged 200-500+ days between flights.

According to SpaceX, Starlink-16 and booster B1051’s last milestone was successfully expanding Falcon 9’s operational envelope by landing in exceptionally high ground winds. Completed with no apparent issues, that success means that SpaceX will be able to expand the range of conditions Falcon 9 can launch and land in, improving the odds of favorable weather in the future.

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 axed one of the Model Y’s best features in ‘Standard’ trims: here’s why

Lars Moravy explains why Tesla chose to go with a glass roof in the new Standard trims, despite it not being visible.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla chose to implement a glass roof on the new Model Y ‘Standard’, despite the fact that you won’t be able to see it from the inside.

In the new Model Y ‘Standard’ configuration, one of the biggest changes is the lack of a glass roof, which is one of the more unique features Tesla offers.

How Tesla’s Standard models will help deliveries despite price disappointment

The entire roof of the Model Y’s ‘Premium’ and Performance trims is glass, giving everyone in the car an astounding view of the sky.

However, Tesla chose to cover this up in the new ‘Standard’ trim level. Here’s a look at it:

Credit: ItsKimJava | X

Despite it not being visible from the inside, the roof is still made of glass. It is only visible from the outside. Even if you removed the headliner in the Model Y ‘Standard,’ you would not be able to see the outside, because the glass is opaque:

Tesla’s Vice President of Powertrain, Lars Moravy, commented on the use of glass in the Premium models and how it differs from the glass in the Standard trims:

“All glass is NOT created equal. Remember, the Model Y Premium glass is laminated with silver IR reflective coatings to make it super comfy and reject solar load… the standard is not… plus LOTS of people wanted a closed headliner, always trying to listen (and improve road noise at the same time).”

The decision to cover up the glass while still using it was an efficiency choice. Moravy said Tesla chose to keep the glass for the new Standard models due to “cost, supply chain, and manufacturing efficiency.”

Tesla launched the Standard models on Tuesday. The cars were effectively a counter to the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit.

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How Tesla’s Standard models will help deliveries despite price disappointment

“What a giant miss,” one person said.

“With all due respect, no way is this what y’all have been hyping for 6 quarters…” another one claimed.

“So…where are the affordable models?” another reply read.

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Credit: Tesla

When Tesla unveiled its Standard versions of the Model 3 and Model Y this week, reactions were mixed. Many liked the addition of two new models, but they were also concerned about the price.

“What a giant miss,” one person said.

“With all due respect, no way is this what y’all have been hyping for 6 quarters…” another one claimed.

“So…where are the affordable models?” another reply read.

Tesla launches two new affordable models with ‘Standard’ Model 3, Y offerings

There’s no arguing it: $36,990 and $39,990 for the Model 3 Standard and Model Y Standard were not what consumers had in mind.

But, despite Tesla getting its new offerings to a price that is not necessarily as low as many expected, the two cars still have a chance to assist with quarterly deliveries.

Here’s how:

First-time Tesla buyers will lean toward Standard models

Tesla owners have become accustomed to expecting all the bells and whistles in their cars. Heated seats, ventilated seats, acoustic glass, vegan leather, industry-leading performance, world-class range, and a glass roof are all expected by current or past owners.

But what about new owners?

New owners do not have these high expectations, so to many of those who have not sat in a Tesla or driven one before, they are going to be blown away by the minimalistic looks, capabilities, and features of the Standard models.

The Premium models will feel like the high-end offerings that other automakers also have for sale, except they’ll only be a few thousand dollars more than Tesla’s base models. With other companies, the price for these higher-end trims is $10,000 or more.

The more affordable Standard models will be there, but if buyers want the extra features, they’ll likely be able to justify the extra few thousand dollars.

Tesla’s Standard Models fall under the U.S. Average Transaction Price

Kelley Blue Book releases a new report each month showing the average transaction price (ATP) of all vehicles sold in the U.S. for that month.

The latest report, released on September 10 for the month of August, revealed an ATP of $49,077. This was up 0.5% from July ($48,841) and higher year over year by 2.6%.

Technically, Tesla’s new Standard models fall well under that ATP, meaning they technically do qualify as “affordable.” However, realistically speaking, affordable does not mean “under the national average.”

It means accessible for low-income families, single-parent households, and other groups. This would likely be under $30,000.

Déjà Vu with the Cybertruck Rear-Wheel-Drive

When Tesla offered the Cybertruck RWD, it stripped out many of the best features of the Cybertruck, such as the adjustable air suspension, powered tonneau cover, and interior materials, just to name a few.

It was $10,000 less than the Cybertruck AWD, but many people essentially viewed it as a way to push consumers toward the more expensive variants, since the discount was a better value than missing out on features.

Tesla released the Cybertruck RWD to make the AWD look like a deal

Something similar could happen with the Standard models. With it only being a few thousand dollars less than the Premium Model 3 and Model Y, some consumers will see it as a better option to go with the more expensive trim levels.

Even if they don’t, many car buyers will see it as a deal to grab the Standard versions.

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Tesla bull sees a new path to 600,000 deliveries per quarter

“We believe the launch of a lower cost model represents the first step to getting back to a ~500k quarterly delivery run-rate, which will be important to stimulate demand for its fleet with the EV tax credit expiring at the end of September.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) bull Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities published a new note to investors on Thursday evening, which seemed to open up the possibility of the automaker returning to a growth rate in terms of deliveries.

After nearly two years of leveling off with deliveries, which was expected, Tesla is now slated to potentially return to growth, Ives says, as it has introduced new, more affordable models. It launched its Standard offerings for the Model 3 and Model Y this week, a strategy to bring cheaper cars to customers amid the loss of the $7,500 tax credit.

In his note to investors, Ives said:

“We believe the launch of a lower cost model represents the first step to getting back to a ~500k quarterly delivery run-rate, which will be important to stimulate demand for its fleet with the EV tax credit expiring at the end of September.”

Although these cars come in only slightly under $40,000, there is some belief that they will do two things: attract car buyers looking for an under-$40k EV with Tesla’s technology and infrastructure, or push those on the fence to the now-Premium models, which are simply the Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive and Long Range All-Wheel-Drive.

Ives said in the note that Tesla’s plans for a $25,000 car are “on hold,” but it seems as if that vehicle will be the Cybercab, which the company unveiled a year ago today.

That project seems to be moving forward as well, based on what we saw at both Fremont and Gigafactory Texas yesterday. At Fremont, the Cybercab was spotted on the Test Track, while crash-tested units were spotted at the factory in Austin.

After the Standard models were rolled out and the Cybercab or another $25,000 unit arrives, Ives believes Tesla could actually get closer to 600,000 deliveries per quarter, he said on CNBC this morning:

Moving forward, Tesla has much more going for it than its potential growth in quarterly deliveries. Ives recognizes that a majority of what Tesla’s value will come from in the future: AI and autonomy.

Ives said:

“The AI valuation will start to get unlocked in the Tesla story and we believe the march to an AI driven valuation for TSLA over the next 6-9 months has now begun in our view with FSD and autonomous penetration of Tesla’s installed base and the acceleration of Cybercab in the US representing the golden goose for Musk & Co. We believe Tesla could reach a $2 trillion market cap early 2026 in a bull case scenario and $3 trillion by the end of 2026 as full scale volume production begins of the autonomous and robotics roadmap.”

Ives and Wedbush maintained their $600 price target and ‘Outperform’ rating on Tesla stock.

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