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Starlink-1 will mark SpaceX's first attempted drone ship landing in more than five months. Starlink-1 will mark SpaceX's first attempted drone ship landing in more than five months.

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SpaceX gives infrared glimpse of Falcon 9 landing after successful Dragon launch

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SpaceX has successfully launched a flight-proven Cargo Dragon spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station (ISS), confirmed just a few minutes after Falcon 9 booster B1056 performed a flawless landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY).

Carrying ~2500 kg (5500 lb) of cargo, Dragon will now spend around 48 hours rendezvousing with the ISS and is scheduled to begin berthing operations early Monday morning, May 6th. Safely landed aboard OCISLY, SpaceX’s recovery fleet should be able to return B1056 to Port Canaveral as few as 6-12 hours from now, depending on sea states and the booster’s condition.

https://twitter.com/_TomCross_/status/1124583514593275904

Just a minute or so after B1056 touched down, Falcon 9’s MVac upper stage engine shut down and Cargo Dragon capsule C113 – outfitted with a fresh trunk section – safely separated. The spacecraft then began its own series of on-orbit checkouts, deployed its solar arrays, and armed its 12 Draco maneuvering thrusters.

The CRS-17 spacecraft departed Falcon 9’s upper stage at the crack of orbital dawn and offered a well-lit view of two large payloads in its trunk. (SpaceX)
Cargo Dragon’s solar arrays glow, backlit by orbital sunrise. (SpaceX)

Dragon will spend two days in the rendezvous phase, slightly boosting and tweaking its own orbit until its trajectory more or less intersects the Space Station’s. NASA will offer live coverage of the spacecraft’s ISS arrival, beginning several hours beforehand and tracking through approach, capture, and berthing. Once Dragon is safely attached, ISS’s crew of astronauts can begin unloading the several thousand pounds of internal cargo and prepare to withdraw unpressurized payloads (OCO-3 and STP-H6) from the spacecraft’s trunk.

The first of many

Meanwhile, SpaceX has finally managed to recover one of its Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters after an exceptionally gentle Earth reentry and landing. Soon after its launch debut, B1056 separated from S2 and Dragon and began its boost back to shore at a downright relaxing ~1.6 km/s (Mach 4.7) and an altitude of 65 km (40 mi). For context, SpaceX’s most extreme Falcon booster recovery yet saw Falcon Heavy center core B1055 separate at almost twice the speed of B1056, traveling nearly 3 km/s (Mach 8.7) at an altitude of almost 100 km (62 mi).

SpaceX included a live infrared view of B1056’s landing. Note the extra cold LOX tank and extra hot interstage and landing legs.
B1056 begins its landing burn approximately 30 seconds before touchdown. (SpaceX)
Closer… (SpaceX)
A few seconds prior to touchdown. (SpaceX)

After such a gentle reentry, the Block 5 booster should be in exceptionally good shape and may require just a few weeks of actual refurbishment before its effectively ready for a second launch. Forced to land aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) after a Crew Dragon explosion littered LZ-1 and 2 with debris critical to the failure investigation, B1056 is now just a few dozen kilometers away from Port Canaveral, 10-20x closer than most drone ship recoveries. Assuming a quick and painless stage safing and securing process, the SpaceX fleet could return the Falcon 9 booster to Port Canaveral just hours from now, minimizing exposure to the marine environment and permitting a uniquely speedy recovery from start to finish.

If B1056 looks to be in good shape, the likeliest candidate for its next launch is Cargo Dragon’s CRS-18 mission, scheduled for no earlier than (NET) mid-July. If events do play out as described, B1056 would become the first flight-proven Block 5 booster to fly a NASA mission, an important step in the process of certifying reused rockets for future NASA launches. Ironically, barring significant delays, the US Air Force will actually beat NASA to the punch to become the first US government entity to fly a payload on a flight-proven Block 5 rocket. NET June 22, the USAF STP-2 mission is scheduled to use not one but both of Falcon Heavy Flight 2’s Block 5 side boosters after their successful April 11th launch debut.

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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 tinkering with Speed Profiles on FSD v14.2.1 has gone too far

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla recently released Full Self-Driving (FSD) v14.2.1, its latest version, but the tinkering with Speed Profiles has perhaps gone too far.

We try to keep it as real as possible with Full Self-Driving operation, and we are well aware that with the new versions, some things get better, but others get worse. It is all part of the process with FSD, and refinements are usually available within a week or so.

However, the latest v14.2.1 update has brought out some major complaints with Speed Profiles, at least on my end. It seems the adjustments have gone a tad too far, and there is a sizeable gap between Profiles that are next to one another.

The gap is so large that changing between them presents a bit of an unwelcome and drastic reduction in speed, which is perhaps a tad too fast for my liking. Additionally, Speed Profiles seem to have a set Speed Limit offset, which makes it less functional in live traffic situations.

Before I go any further, I’d like to remind everyone reading this that what I am about to write is purely my opinion; it is not right or wrong, or how everyone might feel. I am well aware that driving behaviors are widely subjective; what is acceptable to one might be unacceptable to another.

Speed Profiles are ‘Set’ to a Speed

From what I’ve experienced on v14.2.1, Tesla has chosen to go with somewhat of a preset max speed for each Speed Profile. With ‘Hurry,’ it appears to be 10 MPH over the speed limit, and it will not go even a single MPH faster than that. In a 55 MPH zone, it will only travel 65 MPH. Meanwhile, ‘Standard’ seems to be fixed at between 4-5 MPH over.

This is sort of a tough thing to have fixed, in my opinion. The speed at which the car travels should not be fixed; it should be more dependent on how traffic around it is traveling.

It almost seems as if the Speed Profile chosen should be more of a Behavior Profile. Standard should perform passes only to traffic that is slower than the traffic. If traffic is traveling at 75 MPH in a 65 MPH zone, the car should travel at 75 MPH. It should pass traffic that travels slower than this.

Hurry should be more willing to overtake cars, travel more than 10 MPH over the limit, and act as if someone is in a hurry to get somewhere, hence the name. Setting strict limits on how fast it will travel seems to be a real damper on its capabilities. It did much better in previous versions.

Some Speed Profiles are Too Distant from Others

This is specifically about Hurry and Mad Max, which are neighbors in the Speed Profiles menu. Hurry will only go 10 MPH over the limit, but Mad Max will travel similarly to traffic around it. I’ve seen some people say Mad Max is too slow, but I have not had that opinion when using it.

In a 55 MPH zone during Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, it is not unusual for traffic around me to travel in the low to mid-80s. Mad Max was very suitable for some traffic situations yesterday, especially as cars were traveling very fast. However, sometimes it required me to “gear down” into Hurry, especially as, at times, it would try to pass slower traffic in the right lane, a move I’m not super fond of.

We had some readers also mention this to us:

After switching from Mad Max to Hurry, there is a very abrupt drop in speed. It is not violent by any means, but it does shift your body forward, and it seems as if it is a tad drastic and could be refined further.

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Tesla’s most affordable car is coming to the Netherlands

The trim is expected to launch at €36,990, making it the most affordable Model 3 the Dutch market has seen in years.

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Tesla is preparing to introduce the Model 3 Standard to the Netherlands this December, as per information obtained by AutoWeek. The trim is expected to launch at €36,990, making it the most affordable Model 3 the Dutch market has seen in years. 

While Tesla has not formally confirmed the vehicle’s arrival, pricing reportedly comes from a reliable source, the publication noted.

Model 3 Standard lands in NL

The U.S. version of the Model 3 Standard provides a clear preview of what Dutch buyers can expect, such as a no-frills configuration that maintains the recognizable Model 3 look without stripping the car down to a bare interior. The panoramic glass roof is still there, the exterior design is unchanged, and Tesla’s central touchscreen-driven cabin layout stays intact.

Cost reductions come from targeted equipment cuts. The American variant uses fewer speakers, lacks ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, and swaps premium materials for cloth and textile-heavy surfaces. Performance is modest compared with the Premium models, with a 0–100 km/h sprint of about six seconds and an estimated WLTP range near 550 kilometers. 

Despite the smaller battery and simpler suspension, the Standard maintains the long-distance capability drivers have come to expect in a Tesla.

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Pricing strategy aligns with Dutch EV demand and taxation shifts

At €36,990, the Model 3 Standard fits neatly into Tesla’s ongoing lineup reshuffle. The current Model 3 RWD has crept toward €42,000, creating space for a more competitive entry-level option, and positioning the new Model 3 Standard comfortably below the €39,990 Model Y Standard.

The timing aligns with rising Dutch demand for affordable EVs as subsidies like SEPP fade and tax advantages for electric cars continue to wind down, EVUpdate noted. Buyers seeking a no-frills EV with solid range are then likely to see the new trim as a compelling alternative.

With the U.S. variant long established and the Model Y Standard already available in the Netherlands, the appearance of an entry-level Model 3 in the Dutch configurator seems like a logical next step.

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Tesla Model Y is still China’s best-selling premium EV through October

The premium-priced SUV outpaced rivals despite a competitive field, while the Model 3 also secured an impressive position.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

The Tesla Model Y led China’s top-selling pure electric vehicles in the 200,000–300,000 RMB segment through October 2025, as per Yiche data compiled from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) figures.

The premium-priced SUV outpaced rivals despite a competitive field, while the Model 3 also secured an impressive position.

The Model Y is still unrivaled

The Model Y’s dominance shines in Yiche’s October report, topping the chart for vehicles priced between 200,000 and 300,000 RMB. With 312,331 units retailed from January through October, the all-electric crossover was China’s best-selling EV in the 200,000–300,000 RMB segment.

The Xiaomi SU7 is a strong challenger at No. 2 with 234,521 units, followed by the Tesla Model 3, which achieved 146,379 retail sales through October. The Model Y’s potentially biggest rival, the Xiaomi YU7, is currently at No. 4 with 80,855 retail units sold.

Efficiency kings

The Model 3 and Model Y recently claimed the top two spots in Autohome’s latest real-world energy-consumption test, outperforming a broad field of Chinese-market EVs under identical 120 km/h cruising conditions with 375 kg payload and fixed 24 °C cabin temperature. The Model 3 achieved 20.8 kWh/100 km while the Model Y recorded 21.8 kWh/100 km, reaffirming Tesla’s efficiency lead.

The results drew immediate attention from Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, who publicly recognized Tesla’s advantage while pledging continued refinement for his brand’s lineup.

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“The Xiaomi SU7’s energy consumption performance is also very good; you can take a closer look. The fact that its test results are weaker than Tesla’s is partly due to objective reasons: the Xiaomi SU7 is a C-segment car, larger and with higher specifications, making it heavier and naturally increasing energy consumption. Of course, we will continue to learn from Tesla and further optimize its energy consumption performance!” Lei Jun wrote in a post on Weibo.

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