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SpaceX nears Falcon 9 lunar rideshare launch as main satellite arrives in FL
SpaceX and customers Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), SpaceIL, and Spaceflight Industries are reportedly one month away from the NET February 18th launch of Indonesian communications satellite PSN VI (since renamed Nusantara Satu), commercial moon lander Beresheet, and additional unspecified smallsats.
In an encouraging sign that the mission’s launch date might hold, the PSN VI communications satellite – manufactured and delivered by Space Systems Loral (SSL) – arrived at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral, Florida payload processing facilities in late December 2018 and is likely to be joined by SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft in the next few weeks.
https://twitter.com/sslmda/status/1082427646921846784
Easily the most exotic rideshare mission yet in terms of the sheer variability and newness of almost every aspect, communications satellite PSN VI will not only be joined by the world’s first commercial lunar lander but also play host to rideshare organizer Spaceflight’s first dedicated rideshare mission to a high-energy geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), stretching approximately 200 to 36,000 km (120 to 22,000 miles) above Earth.
Led in large part by satellite contractor SSL’s recently-introduced PODS method of attaching rideshare satellite dispensers to larger geostationary satellites, the company’s main manufacturing focus, GTO or even full-GEO rideshare opportunities could open all kinds of doors for exotic but affordable smallsat missions beyond Earth orbit. If successfully implemented, one could foresee commercial, government, or academic entities with budgets that would have originally had them laughed out of doors actually be able to support their own dedicated missions to the Moon and perhaps even to other planets, asteroids, or comets.
Big Science, Small Packages
A pair of tiny, experimental spacecraft called #MarCO flew to Mars and fulfilled a their mission yesterday, relaying near-real-time data during @NASAInSight’s #MarsLanding. Find out more about the record-setting CubeSats: https://t.co/JOAaM2lHjx pic.twitter.com/IlNesoEonq— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) November 27, 2018
Less than coincidentally, JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) successfully launched, tested, and demonstrated a pair of small signal relay cubesats as viable communications infrastructure during Mars lander InSight’s November 2018 landing attempt, becoming the first smallsats ever to operate in deep space. While the utility of each MarCO cubesat was very limited, the program was an extremely successful technology demonstration and has likely opened a number of doors for smallsat passengers to join future interplanetary missions. Already, the European Space Agency (ESA) hopes to include multiple cubesats on an asteroid defense-focused mission to the Didymous asteroid system in the 2020s.
A couple of #CubeSats will join #ESA’s Hera mission towards a binary asteroid system to perform additional bonus science alongside the main mothership. #newspace #cubesat #space https://t.co/gu3BS4sgL0 pic.twitter.com/13iw7gh1u6
— D-Orbit (@D_Orbit) January 8, 2019
While SSL apparently tested PODS with success on the communications satellite Hispasat 30W-6, launched by SpaceX in March 2018, it appears that PSN VI may be the first purely commercial use of SSL’s offerings. Whatever the complex relationship is, it appears that PSN VI’s PODS were co-opted (ordered?) by Spaceflight, who then sold those spaces and managed the integration of customers with spacecraft that needed an orbit truly unique for cubesats.
Given the fact that there has been almost complete silence on Spaceflight’s GTO-1 rideshare mission and that the most recent use of PODS on Hispasat was reportedly funded and used by military research agency DARPA, it may actually be reasonable to conclude that Spaceflight is acting as the middleman for a number of satellites built or owned by military agencies, potentially explaining the radio-silence from Spaceflight’s normally talkative communications team.
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- PSN-6, an SSL-built communications satellite weighing several thousand kilograms, arrived in Florida roughly 10 days ago. (SSL)
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- PSN-6, an SSL-built communications satellite weighing several thousand kilograms, arrived in Florida roughly 10 days ago. (SSL)
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- SpaceIL’s Beresheet moon lander. (SpaceIL)
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- Beresheet is seen here prior to the spacecraft’s flight from Israel to Florida. (SpaceIL/IAI)
Regardless, this launch is bound to be a fascinating one from a trajectory design perspective. Whether or not Falcon 9’s upper stage is actually going to be involved in the task of helping lunar lander Beresheet on its way to the Moon, info from manufacturer and operator SpaceIL suggests that the small ~600 kg spacecraft will rely on an eccentric method of shifting orbits from around the Earth to intercept the Moon. Over the course of several months of small nudges in the right direction, Beresheet will eventually – and very gradually – oscillate on the tip of the gravitational peak between the two planetary bodies until it eventually slips down the lunar side to eventually intercept the Moon. While very slow, this optimized trajectory will be extremely efficient, allowing as much propellant as possible to be saved for the actual task of landing on the Moon.
Which rocket slipper fits?
Come launch day, the combined mass of PSN VI (Nusantara Satu), Beresheet, and unknown rideshare passenger spacecraft will most likely fall somewhere between 5500 and 6000 kg (~12,000-13,500 lbs), indicating that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 should be more than capable of placing the stack of satellites into a healthy geostationary transfer orbit before attempting to land aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY).
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- Pad 39A seen after most extraneous Shuttle-era hardware had been removed, November 2018. (Tom Cross)
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- Falcon 9 B1047.2 is seen here conducting its second successful drone ship landing. (SpaceX)
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- Falcon 9 B1048 appears out of the fog prior to its second orbital-class launch. (Pauline Acalin)
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- Falcon 9 B1048.2 landed at LZ-4 after its second successful launch. (SpaceX)
The question that remains, then, is which Falcon 9 rocket will be tasked with launching the unique mission. Given that SpaceX appears to be rushing full-speed-ahead to complete the next Falcon Heavy in time for a late-February or March launch debut, it seems very unlikely that SpaceX could preserve that aggressive FH launch schedule while also preparing a separate, new Falcon 9 booster for PSN VI. If that’s the case, then the two options at hand are Falcon 9s B1047.3 and B1048.3, both of which have previously launched twice and are currently at SpaceX’s Florida facilities.
In other words, it appears that SpaceX’s first commercial launch to the Moon might lift off on a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster, an unintended but thoroughly fitting precursor to what is hopefully a future full of highly reusable rockets and interplanetary (as in between two or more planetary bodies) spaceflight.
Tesla has officially launched its first branded Supercharger just months after initiating a new program that allows third-party companies to brand their own charging piles.
The site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, and features eight V4 Supercharging stalls offering up to 325 kW of charging speed. It appears it was purchased by a company called Suncoast Credit Union. This particular branch is located Northeast of Tampa, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.
It features graphics of Florida animals, like alligators:
Here’s a video of the graphics being installed on the Tesla Superchargers at this site: https://t.co/oIfEPNZjAH pic.twitter.com/ENWakZ2qT9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 20, 2025
Tesla launched this program back in September, and it basically was a way to expand its Supercharger presence and also allow companies to pay for the infrastructure. Tesla maintains it. When it announced the “Supercharger for Business,” it said:
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business. Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The program does a few things. Initially, it expands EV charging infrastructure and makes charging solutions more readily available for drivers. It can also attract people to those businesses specifically.
Tesla launches new Supercharger program that business owners will love
The chargers can also be branded with any logo that the business chooses, which makes them more personalized and also acts as an advertisement.
The best part is that the customers do not have to maintain anything about the Supercharger. Tesla still takes care of it and resolves any issues:
“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance, and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”
It appears the Superchargers will also appear within the in-car nav during routing, so they’ll be publicly available to anyone who needs to use them. They are still available to all EVs that have worked with Tesla to utilize its infrastructure, and they are not restricted to people who are only visiting the business.
Tesla has revealed its Cybertruck light bar installation fix after a recall exposed a serious issue with the accessory.
Tesla and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a recall of 6,197 Cybertrucks back in October to resolve an issue with the Cybertruck light bar accessory. It was an issue with the adhesive that was provided by a Romanian company called Hella Romania S.R.L.
Tesla recalls 6,197 Cybertrucks for light bar adhesive issue
The issue was with the primer quality, as the recall report from the NHTSA had stated the light bar had “inadvertently attached to the windshield using the incorrect surface primer.”
Instead of trying to adhere the light bar to the Cybertruck with an adhesive, Tesla is now going to attach it with a bracketing system, which will physically mount it to the vehicle instead of relying on adhesive strips or glue.
Tesla outlines this in its new Service Bulletin, labeled SB-25-90-001, (spotted by Not a Tesla App) where it shows the light bar will be remounted more securely:
The entire process will take a few hours, but it can be completed by the Mobile Service techs, so if you have a Cybertruck that needs a light bar adjustment, it can be done without taking the vehicle to the Service Center for repair.
However, the repair will only happen if there is no delamination or damage present; then Tesla could “retrofit the service-installed optional off-road light bar accessory with a positive mechanical attachment.”
The company said it would repair the light bar at no charge to customers. The light bar issue was one that did not result in any accidents or injuries, according to the NHTSA’s report.
This was the third recall on Cybertruck this year, as one was highlighted in March for exterior trim panels detaching during operation. Another had to do with front parking lights being too bright, which was fixed with an Over-the-Air update last month.
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Tesla is already expanding its Rental program aggressively
The program has already launched in a handful of locations, specifically, it has been confined to California for now. However, it does not seem like Tesla has any interest in keeping it restricted to the Golden State.
Tesla is looking to expand its Rental Program aggressively, just weeks after the program was first spotted on its Careers website.
Earlier this month, we reported on Tesla’s intention to launch a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates, which would give people in various locations the opportunity to borrow a vehicle in the company’s lineup with some outrageous perks.
Along with the cheap rates that start at about $60 per day, Tesla also provides free Full Self-Driving operation and free Supercharging for the duration of the rental. There are also no limits on mileage or charging, but the terms do not allow the renter to leave the state from which they are renting.
🚨🚨 If you look up details on the Tesla Rental program on Google, you’ll see a bunch of sites saying it’s because of decreasing demand 🤣 pic.twitter.com/WlSQrDJhMg
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2025
The program has already launched in a handful of locations, specifically, it has been confined to California for now. However, it does not seem like Tesla has any interest in keeping it restricted to the Golden State.
Job postings from Tesla now show it is planning to launch the Rental program in at least three new states: Texas, Tennessee, and Massachusetts.
The jobs specifically are listed as a Rental Readiness Specialist, which lists the following job description:
“The Tesla Rental Program is looking for a Rental Readiness Specialist to work on one of the most progressive vehicle brands in the world. The Rental Readiness Specialist is a key contributor to the Tesla experience by coordinating the receipt of incoming new and used vehicle inventory. This position is responsible for fleet/lot management, movement of vehicles, vehicle readiness, rental invoicing, and customer hand-off. Candidates must have a high level of accountability, and personal satisfaction in doing a great job.”
It also says that those who take the position will have to charge and clean the cars, work with clients on scheduling pickups and drop-offs, and prepare the paperwork necessary to initiate the rental.
The establishment of a Rental program is big for Tesla because it not only gives people the opportunity to experience the vehicles, but it is also a new way to rent a car.
Just as the Tesla purchasing process is more streamlined and more efficient than the traditional car-buying experience, it seems this could be less painful and a new way to borrow a car for a trip instead of using your own.
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
Tesla reveals its Cybertruck light bar installation fix
