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SpaceX set to deliver cargo to the space station with a twice-flown Dragon spacecraft

Flight-proven rocket, orbit-proven spacecraft: Falcon 9 B1056.1 and Cargo Dragon C108.2 are set for launch. (Tom Cross/SpaceX)

Published

7 years ago

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SpaceX is set to become the only company in history to launch the same commercial space capsule to orbit three times, a milestone of orbital spacecraft reuse in an otherwise ‘routine’ Cargo Dragon mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Known as CRS-18, the mission will (hopefully) see Cargo Dragon capsule C108 and a fresh trunk deliver several tons of cargo to the ISS, SpaceX’s second of three such launches planned for 2019. Beyond Cargo Dragon’s third trip to orbit, building upon SpaceX’s inaugural commercial spacecraft reuse back in June 2017, Falcon 9 B1056.1 will become the first flight-proven Block 5 booster to launch a NASA mission, potentially setting the particular core up for many more NASA reuses to come. CRS-18 is scheduled to launch no earlier than (NET) 6:24 pm EDT (21:24 UTC), July 24th.

SpaceX reused one of its Cargo Dragon (Dragon 1) capsules for the first time in June 2017, becoming the first company in history to recover and reuse an orbital-class spacecraft, much like the company is about to become the first to reuse a commercial spacecraft twice. Speaking at the ISSR&D 2017 conference, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk noted that – despite the fact that it was the first time a commercial entity (including SpaceX) had reused an orbital spacecraft – the cost of refurbishing Cargo Dragon C106 was no less than 50% cheaper than building a new capsule.

The cost-effectiveness of Cargo Dragon reuse has likely only improved in the two years since that historic first, meaning that SpaceX’s ISS resupply runs likely feature some extremely healthy margins for the company. According to an exhaustive 2017 analysis of CRS costs, the total cost of a single Cargo Dragon resupply mission is likely ~$175M (FY19). (Zapata, 2017)

An overview of the expected modifications needed to turn Crew Dragon into Cargo Dragon 2. (NASA OIG)

Aside from CRS-18, SpaceX has two Dragon 1 launches remaining in its original CRS1 contract with NASA. Both will also necessarily make use of twice-flown capsules like CRS-18, leaving SpaceX with a retired fleet of no fewer than three thrice-flown and three twice-flown orbital spacecraft as Dragon 2 (Crew Dragon) takes the reins. Current schedules show SpaceX’s final CRS1 launch – CRS-20 – following CRS-19 (NET December 2019) in March 2020. Cargo Dragon 2’s launch debut is currently scheduled no earlier than August 2020 and – as all Cargo Dragon 2 launches – will reuse a lightly-modified, orbit-proven Crew Dragon capsule.

CRS-18: bad weather in spades

CRS-18 will likely face some of the worst weather SpaceX has ever experienced during an attempted Falcon 9 launch, with July 24th and the July 25th backup window carrying probabilities of violation (i.e. a scrub) of 70% and 80%, respectively. In other words, there is a measly 30% and 20% chance that Falcon 9 will be able to launch CRS-18 this Wednesday or Thursday.

Supporting the Cargo Dragon launch is Falcon 9 booster B1056.2, likely to set the second-fastest Falcon 9 turnaround time with just 80 days between its May 4th launch debut and CRS-18. SpaceX’s turnaround record currently stands at 74 days – a three-way tie between boosters B1048, B1052, and B1053. Additionally, B1056’s second launch will also mark the first time that NASA has reused a Block 5 booster, an important indication that the space agency is extremely comfortable with SpaceX’s latest Falcon 9 variant and its associated reuse procedures.

Stay tuned as Falcon 9 prepares to go vertical at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) and the Air Force Station’s final T-24h launch day weather forecasts begin to roll in

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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 owner attempts resale of Model S Signature Edition for over $260k

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2 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Credit: Tesla

A Tesla owner who purchased a Model S Signature Edition, one of the final 250 units of the all-electric flagship vehicle that the company discontinued earlier this year, is attempting to sell the car despite a no-resale clause that prohibits reselling for the first year.

The car is being sold by J&S Autohaus in Ewing, New Jersey, and is priced at $260,490, well above the $159,420 that Tesla sold it for earlier this year.

To those who do not know, the Model S Signature was a highly exclusive, limited-run farewell variant of the Model S Plaid that was produced this year to mark the end of production of both the Model S and Model X, Tesla’s two flagship vehicles.

Limited to just 250 units with invite-only sales, it serves as a collector’s item celebrating the legacy of the Model S, which helped pioneer Tesla’s electric vehicle success since its 2012 launch.

It bundles top-tier performance with bespoke cosmetic and luxury upgrades, plus Tesla’s Luxe Package. Here’s what the Model S Signature has over the typical Model S Plaid:

  • Exclusive Exterior – Unique Garnet Red Paint, matching door handles, gold Tesla “T” badges upfront, gold Plaid and Signature badging at the rear.
  • Premium Interior – White Alcantara upholstery with gold piping/accents, gold Plaid seat badges, Signature-marked door sills, individually numbered dashboard plaque, gold puddle lights, special interior lighting sequence, and a custom Signature key fob.
  • Performance Upgrades – Carbon-ceramic brakes with gold calipers
  • Bundled Luxe Package – Full Self-Driving (Supervised), four years of Premium Connectivity, free lifetime Supercharging
  • Performance Metrics – ~1,020 horsepower, sub-2-second 0-60 MPH, ~390-mile range

Tesla quickly introduced a No Resale Agreement for the Signature Editions of the Model S and Model X, which would penalize the seller for “the amount of $50,000 or the value received as consideration for the sale or transfer, whichever is greater.”

The company continues:

“If you sell or otherwise transfer the ownership of your Model S or Model X, the remainder of the Recommended Maintenance, Wheel and Tire Protection Plan, and Windshield Protection Plan will transfer automatically to the buyer. The Full Self-Driving (Supervised), Free Supercharging and Premium Connectivity will not transfer with the vehicle and will terminate once the ownership of the Model S or Model X is transferred.”

Tesla will likely come after the seller, especially as it has been about two months since Tesla launched deliveries.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 Early Impressions: new features and early performance

Published

5 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Credit: TESLARATI

Tesla rolled out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.3.5 yesterday, and about fifty miles of driving on the new version has given me enough time to highlight what seems to be strong about the release and what is not.

Additionally, Tesla has added a few new features with this specific update, which we’ll highlight as well.

Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 Performance

The new update is business as usual. Things seem to be running completely normal and necessary, but there are a few things that we’ve seemed to pick up on based on our own experience with v14.3.5, as well as what other users are seeing.

Initially, it seems to be more aware of its surroundings, making moves that are incredibly courteous to other drives and operating just a tad more reserved than what the suite might have done previously.

We had two instances where it showed this, the first being FSD needing to pass a Flagger Force vehicle that was placing down signage for the day. Their work truck was right at the front corner of a right-hand turn; typically where most cars travel when they take that turn.

FSD v14.3.5 recognized this, slowed down, and took the turn wide with no issues:

Additionally, v14.3.5 backed up for a semi truck that was making a wide turn onto a road my car was on. This is not new, but it seemed to be backing up for courtesy; it didn’t seem completely necessary, but it might have put some peace of mind in the truck driver’s head:

X user Mike P, also a Pennsylvania native like myself, shared three clips of his Tesla running v14.3.5 performing similar maneuvers. He said:

“FSD turns right into a small alley that only fits one car at a time, sees oncoming car, reverses out of alley to make space, realizes oncoming car is actually parking, re-enters alley.”
Check it out here:

It seems like Speed Profiles are still in need of some tweaking; I am adjusting what Speed Profile I’m in frequently, constantly changing it to get it to travel at the correct speed. This was an issue for me on v14.3.4. It seems like they’re just a little inconsistent.

Terrible Parking

Parking attempts on v14.3.5 were not good. There are quite a few people who have said this:

David Moss, the Tesla owner who has taken multiple coast-to-coast drives without any interventions, also has had some issues with parking early on with v14.3.5:

New Features

Tesla has added the ability to open Camera Preview at any time. Previously, it was only available in Park. Here’s what that feature looks like in action:

Check back later this week for a longer review of what we’ve noticed on Full Self-Driving v14.3.5.

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Lifestyle

Tesla makes the cut on California’s newest EV Rebate program

California just signed a $270 million EV rebate into law and it starts this summer.

Published

11 hours ago

on

July 13, 2026

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tesla fremont

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 168 into law on Monday, July 13, 2026, creating a $270 million EV rebate program that delivers money directly at the dealership rather than as a tax credit applied months later. The program, called MyFirstEV, is funded equally by California’s state budget and participating automakers, with each contributing $135.5 million to make the math work.

The timing is directly tied to the loss of federal support when the $7,500 federal EV tax credit ended, removing the most significant consumer incentive that had driven EV adoption in the U.S. California, which accounts for roughly one-third of all EVs sold nationally, moved to fill that gap with a state-level replacement.

The rebate structure is straightforward. First-time EV buyers can receive $3,500 off any new battery-electric vehicle with an MSRP up to $50,000. Used EVs priced at $25,000 or below qualify for a $1,750 rebate. The credit is applied at the point of sale, which removes the friction of the old federal system where buyers had to wait for tax season to see the benefit. The program goes live later this summer, with the California Air Resources Board expected to release full participation details next month.

California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law

For Tesla buyers, the implications are mixed. The Tesla Model 3 RWD at $42,490 and the Model 3 Long Range at $47,490 both fall under the $50,000 cap and would qualify for the full $3,500 rebate for first-time buyers. The Model Y, which starts at $44,990 after Tesla’s recent price adjustment, also qualifies. The Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck all exceed the cap and receive no benefit. As Teslarati has reported, the program also includes a carve-out exempting California-based automakers like Rivian and Lucid from the price cap entirely, a provision that puts Tesla at a disadvantage since it relocated its headquarters to Texas in 2021.

Other qualifying vehicles include the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.4.

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