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SpaceX’s new Falcon 9 fairing recovery ship kicks off sea trials ahead of next launch
After a brief installation period, SpaceX’s second Falcon 9 fairing-catching ship departed Port Canaveral to begin sea trials with its new net and arms, a critical step before it can be declared ready to attempt its first fairing recovery.
Known as GO Ms. Chief, the ship’s first opportunity could come as early as a few weeks from now, potentially marking a major milestone for SpaceX’s fairing recovery and reuse program.
On his first shoot for Teslarati, photographer Richard Angle (@RDAnglePhoto) managed to capture Ms. Chief while departing Port Canaveral on October 23rd, heading a few miles off the coast to kick off sea trials likely focused on proving out a wide range of new hardware installed in the last month. Those trials began less than 24 hours after technicians installed Ms. Chief’s recovery net for the first time ever, with the ship’s subsequent trip into the Atlantic Ocean essentially marking the completion of her transformation from fast supply vessel (FSV) to SpaceX fairing catcher.
SpaceX is currently in the midst of its longest lull in launch activity since September 2016, likely triggered by the unavailability of customer payloads and the company’s own internal Starlink missions. Unfortunately, although the lull was initially expected to end as early as mid-October, the internal Starlink launch (Starlink-1) expected to lead the charge slipped about a month for unknown reasons and is now expected no earlier than November – likely in the second half of the month.
As a small consolation, Starlink-1’s launch delays mean that the newly-outfitted Ms. Chief may be able to inaugurate its new net and arms by attempting to recover one of the mission’s Falcon 9 fairing halves, while the nearly identical GO Ms. Tree attempts to snag the other half. Even if more tweaking and sea trials are needed to prove her readiness, SpaceX’s next launch is still likely several weeks away, hopefully giving the company’s recovery team plenty of time to prepare Ms. Chief and practice recovery operations.
As of October 2019, SpaceX has successfully caught two Falcon fairing halves during the company’s last two back-to-back recovery attempts, beginning with a Falcon Heavy fairing half caught on June 25th and ending with a Falcon 9 fairing half caught on August 7th. Beyond Ms. Tree’s two catches, SpaceX has successfully recovered a number of additional fairing halves after they performed soft landings in the Atlantic Ocean, including both halves launched in May 2019 for the company’s first dedicated Starlink mission.
Given that SpaceX has technically caught two halves of a payload fairing, it’s possible that one is female and the other male, potentially meaning that one of SpaceX’s upcoming Starlink launches could feature the first fully-reused Falcon 9 fairing. Regardless, assuming one or both were recovered in good condition, it’s even more likely that at least one half (with the other half new) will be reused on one (or both) of those upcoming flights.
Said by CEO Elon Musk to make up approximately 10% of the cost of a new Falcon 9 (~$6M), routine fairing recovery and reuse would close the last remaining loop for Falcon 9 reusability, with boosters and fairings accounting for roughly 75-80% of the total cost of the rocket. SpaceX has no plans to attempt to recover or reuse Falcon 9’s second stage, choosing instead to prioritize development of the fully-reusable Starship launch vehicle.
Preparing the oven-cured carbon composite shells that make up the bulk of SpaceX’s Falcon fairings takes a disproportionate amount of time and factory floor space. Even if Falcon fairings can only be reused once or twice, it would effectively double or triple the effectiveness of the current manufacturing apparatus, cutting the relative cost of production by 50% or more for the price of operating Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief.
Fairing reuse will be a critical part of ensuring that the first phase of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation can be launched as affordably as possible on Falcon 9. With at least 24 launches needed to cover most populated areas, cutting even a few million dollars per launch could produce savings on the order of $100M, equivalent to the production cost of 100-200 Starlink satellites.
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Tesla has taken another concrete step toward owning its battery supply chain, and it’s doing so with what is perhaps the most important vehicle in its short-but-storied history.
On September 23, Tesla announced that it has officially built the first Cybercab with cathode material produced in-house at the company’s first cathode plant in the U.S., and the first in the U.S. overall.
First Cybercab made using our in-house cathode material – from the first cathode plant in the Americas pic.twitter.com/X95aVXsT9H
— Robotaxi (@robotaxi) September 23, 2026
Active cathode material is the most expensive piece of a lithium-ion battery cell, and it often accounts for more than a third of cell cost. For years, the industry sourced a majority of it from Asia, but Tesla’s decision to make it in the United States bodes well for the Cybercab project. This is the latest chapter in Tesla’s vertical integration strategy, which began in public at Battery Day in 2020.
At the Battery Day Event, Elon Musk said the company would build a North American cathode plant and overhaul the process to cut costs and waste, while also making some of the most powerful and long-lasting cells in the industry.
The Austin facility took years to appear. Tesla filed permits for “Project Cathode” in 2022 on land near Giga Texas. By mid-2022, the building frame was up and Tesla later invested hundreds of millions of dollars as part of a larger expansion of the Giga Texas plant. The company stated it was operating the first large-scale cathode production facility in North America to supplement 4680 cell production.
One month later, that material reached a finished Cybercab.
Made with nickel cathode manufactured locally at Gigafactory Texas! https://t.co/DqMm5fZV3n
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 24, 2026
The timing of this breakthrough is monumental for the Cybercab program. As Tesla officially launched the first Cybercab rides to the public earlier this month, production of the ride-hailing-geared vehicle is moving forward on the planned S-curve that CEO Elon Musk told everyone to expect.
Nevertheless, packs of Cybercab units have been spotted throughout the United States, in an effort to potentially activate the fleet as soon as the company gains regulatory approval in various geographic areas.
On top of that, Tesla owning the cathode step and pairing it with its own in-house lithium from the Gulf Coast refinery shortens the supply chain that once stretched thousands of miles and subjects every pack to fewer external price shocks and geopolitical risks.
Tesla is not yet independent of all of its foreign suppliers, as some precursor metals come from mines and chemical plants. But the first in-house cathode Cybercab shows the company is closing the most expensive and most concentrated gap in its battery production efforts. For a vehicle like Cybercab to operate at a high utilization within the Robotaxi network, that control over cost is so crucial.
It is arguably as important as the software that drives it.
Tesla is set to inaugurate its dedicated Semi factory in Sparks, Nevada, this evening, but drone footage has already started to show who is expected on the handover stage.
Zanegler, a drone operator who regularly documents Tesla Semi operations in Nevada, filmed a row of new-generation Semi units parked outside of the plant with customer branding applied. The liveries visible in the video include companies like PepsiCo, U.S. Foods, Einride, DHL, WattEV, and others that have committed to utilizing Tesla’s Class 8 electric truck in their fleets.
Tesla Semi Pre-Reveal Revealed!
Excited to share this segment of the drone flight one day prior to the Tesla Semi Reveal event.
They have added branding to several Tesla new generation semis.
Including:
Pepsico
US Foods
Einride
LTS
Nevoya
OK Produce
ABF Freight
DHL
WattEV… pic.twitter.com/KoFOg2FouR— Zanegler (@HinrichsZane) September 24, 2026
Several of those company names already sit within Tesla’s public ordering book, including PepsiCo, which has been the program’s primary anchor customer since the first Semi deliveries in December 2022. PepsiCo now runs dozens of Tesla Semi units in daily service, with drivers completing regional routes.
Einride placed a 500-unit order in August, which was, at the time, the largest single Semi commitment. First deployments of their Semi units are planned for this month and will eventually span across California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia. Meanwhile, IMC Logistics announced a 50-truck California order this week.
Tesla Semi lands the biggest electric truck deal in U.S. history
Other names, like LTS, OK Produce, and HMD, have not been widely confirmed as firm buyers, but their presence on the lot is perhaps the clearest signal that Tesla intends to expand on that list this evening at the event.
Tesla first unveiled the Semi back in 2017 with a 2019 production target.
Limited pilot builds reached PepsiCo in late 2022, and high-volume production began at the new 1.7-million-square-foot plant that sits logically positioned next to Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada. Tesla Semi program director Dan Priestley has said that Tesla expects to build “many thousands” of Semi units this year, but as with every Tesla release, there have been set expectations of an S-curve ramp.
Outside estimates still put 2026 deliveries in the 5,000-to-15,000 range, but it will ultimately depend on Tesla’s readiness to put those units out, as well as how smoothly production is moving internally.
Tesla’s Semi Rollout event is set to start tonight at the Sparks factory, and it will be livestreamed on X starting at 6 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m. ET.
The Tesla App is now giving owners a better indication of what to expect when visiting a Supercharger site, as it is now sharing Site Maps in the app itself, making the feature no longer exclusively available in the car.
Tesla owners can now preview a Supercharger’s layout and live stall status from their phone thanks to the App’s new software version, v4.61.0. Zooming into a supported Supercharger on the charging map now switches the familiar street view into a site-specific map that shows stall positions, occupied bays, out-of-service posts, and a live count of open Superchargers.
It will even show you which specific Tesla model is charging at each occupied stall.
You can now see Live Site Maps in the latest Tesla app (4.61.0.) pic.twitter.com/JIL8QzR8hu
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) September 18, 2026
This is the same view drivers first saw inside the car with the 2025 Holiday Update, which started as a pilot for Tesla in California and Texas. Those early maps showed layout, nearby amenities, and the status of each operational stall. The feature has spread to most Superchargers in the U.S., but now Tesla wants the feature available through the Smartphone App, which is now rolling out to owners.
The in-vehicle screen maps remain a richer 3D canvas and originally required AMD Ryzen infotainment hardware, which left many Intel-based Model 3 and Model Y owners without the view. The app version removes that hardware barrier, so any owner can now get a preview of their upcoming Supercharger stop on their phone.
Anyone with the updated version of the app can open a Site Map on their phone. The feature has provided some additional peace of mind to anxious travelers and those who might be looking for a place that is less congested for faster charging speeds. It is a meaningful addition to many owners, especially for trips to unfamiliar locations.
You can now pick a Supercharger location that might be more aligned with what you are looking for or need: you can pick a site based on what stalls are open, where ADA stalls sit, how you will pull in, and more, instead of circling a crowded lot after arriving. Owners of older cars now have access to the feature without having to purchase a new vehicle altogether.
Site Mpas will not reserve a stall, nor will it change how Fast Charging works. Tesla does something simpler and more useful by giving owners a dedicated preview of the Supercharger they’re about to charge, turning an unknown parking lot into a place that may seem more familiar thanks to the preview.
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Tesla Cybercab gets initial tie-in to localized, in-house cathode plant
Tesla leaks Semi customers ahead of handover event
