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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)

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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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Elon Musk

Tesla finally clarifies fatal Texas crash, confirms driver manually overrode acceleration

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Credit: CNBC

Tesla has finally clarified the situation regarding the viral crash in Texas where a Model 3 slammed into a home.

CEO Elon Musk replied to reports on Monday that stated the crash was due to the company’s Full Self-Driving or Autopilot suite, which seemed unlikely to those who are familiar with it. Video showed the car slamming into a house at an excessive rate of speed, making it highly unlikely the crash was due to the suite’s operation, as it does not travel at those speeds in residential areas.

Musk said:

“This makes no sense. FSD drives slowly through neighborhood streets, and this was a high-speed crash!”

Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, added context, revealing that the company’s data shows the driver “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.”

He revealed the speed reached by the car was 73 MPH, and the accelerator was still pressed “even after the crash.”

Authorities are reportedly investigating “whether Tesla’s Autopilot system played a role after a Model 3 left the roadway…slammed through a brick house at high speed and fatally struck Matha Avila as she sat inside,” the New York Post reported.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now investigating the crash. Tesla will work with the agency to provide them with whatever information they need in order to clarify the cause of the crash.

Similarly, Tesla had claims of a fatal accident in Harris County, Texas, a few years ago. Early reports indicated that Full Self-Driving was the cause of the crash. After the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) worked with Tesla, the agency proved there was “no use of the Autopilot system at any time during this ownership period of the vehicle, including the time frame up to the last transmitted timestamp on April 17, 2021.”

Tesla alleged “driverless” crash in Texas: What is known so far

“Application of the accelerator pedal was found to be as high as 98.8 percent,” the NTSB said in their findings. The highest recorded speed in the five seconds leading up to the impact was 67 miles per hour. The area where the crash occurred is residential, and Texas State laws have default speed limits of 30 MPH in residential streets.

This appears to be a similar situation. However, an investigation will prove what happened for sure.

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Investor's Corner

SpaceX makes $20 billion move to optimize its balance sheet

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX announced today that it commenced its first-ever public bond offering, marking a significant step in the newly public company’s capital markets strategy.

The company announced an offering of senior unsecured notes expected to raise at least $20 billion.

The move comes just a short time after SpaceX completed one of the largest initial public offerings in history. In mid-June, the company priced shares at $135 and raised more than $85 billion, propelling founder Elon Musk’s net worth past the trillion-dollar mark and giving the firm substantial liquidity.

According to the company’s SEC filing, the net proceeds from the notes will be used primarily to repay in full the outstanding borrowings under its existing bridge loan facility, cover related fees and expenses, and fund general corporate purposes. The offering is being conducted under Rule 144A, as well as Regulation S, targeting qualified institutional buyers and non-U.S. investors. Notes will be unsecured obligations ranking equally with other unsubordinated debt.

The $20 billion bridge loan was used to refinance approximately $17.5 billion in higher-cost “junk” debt tied to X and xAI. SpaceX had merged with xAI in February 2026 in an all-stock deal. The bridge facility, which matures in September 2027, had represented the bulk of SpaceX’s long-term debt.

SpaceX officially acquires xAI, merging rockets with AI expertise

In connection with the bond launch, SpaceX disclosed it held approximately $100.8 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of June 19. Investor calls began on the announcement date, with pricing and launch expected shortly thereafter. Rating agencies have assigned investment-grade ratings to the proposed bonds, reflecting confidence in SpaceX’s dominant position in commercial launches and the growth trajectory of its Starlink internet offering.

The debt raise also allows SpaceX to optimize its balance sheet by replacing short-term, higher-cost bridge financing with longer-date, lower-cost fixed-income securities. This provides greater financial flexibility to support capital-intensive initiatives, including the development of Starship, the expansion of the Starlink constellation, and the integration of AI capabilities following the xAI combination.

SpaceX shares (NASDAQ: SPCX) fell sharply on the news, dropping over 16 percent overall on the market on Monday. The stock had surged initially after debuting but pulled back amid profit-taking and broader market dynamics.

Overall, the bond offering underscores SpaceX’s transition to a mature public company with access to diverse funding sources. It positions the firm to pursue its long-term vision of multiplanetary expansion and AI infrastructure, while maintaining a disciplined approach to its capital structure in a high-growth but capital-heavy industry.

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Elon Musk

SpaceX confirms third massive compute deal at Colossus data center

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Credit: xAI Memphis

SpaceX confirmed today that it has officially signed its third massive compute deal, providing compute at its Colossus data center in Southaven, Mississippi.

Reflection AI will gain immediate access to NVIDIA GB300 chips at SpaceX’s Colossus 2 data center. In return, Reflection will pay SpaceX $150 million per month starting on July 1, with total payments reaching approximately $6.3 billion if the contract runs through its duration, which is until 2029. Either party can terminate the agreement with 90 days’ notice after the initial three-month period.

CNBC first reported the deal.

This latest partnership highlights SpaceX’s strategy of commercializing its massive Colossus supercomputing infrastructure, originally developed to power Elon Musk’s Grok AI models. The company has rapidly expanded its customer base in the AI sector following its February 2026 merger with xAI, a transaction that valued the combined entity at $1.25 trillion.

SpaceX has previously signed significant compute deals with other major players.

It granted Anthropic exclusive access to the full capacity of its Colossus 1 data center, which exceeds 300 megawatts and includes over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs. Details from SpaceX’s IPO filings indicate Anthropic will pay $1.25 billion per month through May 2029, potentially generating around $45 billion over the term of the deal.

Additionally, Google agreed to pay SpaceX $920 million per month for compute capacity from October 2026 through June 2029. This 32-month period will provide Google access to roughly 110,000 NVIDIA GPUs, along with supporting processors and memory. Capacity ramps up through September at a reduced fee, with termination options after the first year.

SpaceXA also established arrangements for computing power with Cursor, an AI coding startup. SpaceX acquired them in a $60 billion all-stock deal.

SpaceX makes first acquisition post-IPO

These arrangements position SpaceX’s collective position as an AI infrastructure powerhouse with high-margin revenue potential. The Google deal alone could generate nearly $29.5 billion over its term, while the Reflection contract adds another $6.3 billion.

Combined with the Anthropic arrangement, SpaceX stands to realize tens of billions in revenue from compute leasing in the coming years, which diversifies beyond SpaceX’s traditional rocket launches and Starlink operation.

The deals underscore growing demand for advanced AI training and inference capacity amid chip shortages and surging model development needs. Reflection, valued at $25 billion and focused on “American open intelligence” with government and national security ties, cited recent restrictions on closed models as validation for open-source approaches.

For SpaceX, the partnerships transform capital-intensive data centers into flexible revenue sources while supporting its broader AI ambitions after the company has gone public.

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