News
SpaceX to attempt “hot” Falcon 9 landing at sea in spite of heavy payload
Although SpaceX’s launch of PAZ and two Starlink demo satellites has been pushed back to Thursday by weather concerns, work back on the East coast is continuing apace in preparation for the Sunday, February 25 launch of an exceptionally heavy communications satellite.
Updated February 24: SpaceX has postponed Sunday’s launch, as it attempts to conduct additional testing on the fairing’s pressurization system. “Once complete, and pending range availability, we will confirm a new targeted launch date”, notes SpaceX.
Eloquently deemed Hispasat 30W-6 (1F), the hefty 6000+ kg spacecraft will be sent to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) atop a brand new Falcon 9 rocket, quite a rare occurrence in the last several months. Based on the satellite’s considerable mass and public understand of Falcon 9’s performance, it was reasonably assumed that the rocket would need to launch in an expendable configuration to lift its payload to the proper orbit. However, in an unexpected turn of events, local observers with access to Cape Canaveral Air Force Base (CCAFS) or Kennedy Space Center (KSC) have observed what unequivocally appear to be grid fins and landing legs attached to the fresh Falcon 9, Booster (B)1044.
Local observers have observed grid fins and landing legs attached to the unflown Falcon 9, hinting at an aggressive landing attempt.
Falcon 9 B1044 conducting tests at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas facilities earlier this year. (SpaceX)
Further corroborating this evidence of an imminent landing attempt, Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) have been published that indicate a possible landing location for the SpaceX rocket. NOTAMs are used to instruct aircraft and boats of potentially hazardous areas that must be avoided within a certain time frame – for those of you with memories of scrubbed launches caused by wayward boats or aircraft, these notices are what those offending individuals were supposed to be cognizant of. NASASpaceflight.com forums user Raul has kindly maintained a custom Google Maps fork that is regularly updated with data provided in NOTAMs, and serves as an invaluable visualization for those of us that do not pilot boats or planes quite as frequently as others.
SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) has taken quite a beating in the past few months – most recently she was nearly speared by Falcon Heavy’s 300+ mph center core. Nevertheless, the storied vessel has been relentlessly repaired and maintained by SpaceX’s crew of recovery fleet technicians and can be expected to leave its Floridan Port Canaveral berth within the next 24 hours – so long as the company intends to attempt recovery of Falcon 9 B1044.
-
- OCISLY and a landed Falcon 9 return to port after the most recent successful ocean recovery, October 30 2017. (Tom Cross)
-
- Falcon Heavy’s stunning dual side booster recovery. (SpaceX)
-
- Elon Musk walks among his recovered Falcon Heavy boosters at LZ-1 and 2. (Elon Musk)
As launch photographer Tom Cross works to acquire a license that would allow him to place remote cameras nearby the drone ship, viewers can capture the drone ship landings on SpaceX’s webcast. We’ll continue to provide on-the-ground coverage of both rocket launch and landings.
Meanwhile, back on the West coast, photographer Pauline Acalin is busy covering SpaceX’s launch of PAZ and two Starlink demo satellites. Due to slightly off-nominal upper level winds, just barely violating Falcon 9’s engineering margins for wind shear, the launch attempt earlier this morning was scrubbed and pushed back 24 hours, now NET 6:17am PST Feb. 22. Although the flight-proven booster flying with PAZ will be expended in the Pacific Ocean after launch, it appears likely that the launch will feature SpaceX’s first full-on attempt at recovering a payload fairing half intact.
SpaceX’s live coverage will begin at the livestream below approximately 15-20 minutes before launch.
News
Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
A Tesla owner has successfully completed a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States on Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised. The trip was accomplished with zero interventions.
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
FSD Coast-to-Coast
The coast-to-coast feat was accomplished by Tesla owner Davis Moss, who drives a stealth gray Model 3 with AI4 hardware. Based on data from the FSD database and a community tracker, the last 10,638.8 miles Moss drove in his Model 3 were completed using FSD 100% of the time. His vehicle is equipped with FSD v14.2.1.25, which was installed 12 days ago.
As per Moss in a celebratory post on X, his Model 3 was able to complete a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States in 2 days and 20 hours. His trip started at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles, CA, and it ended in Myrtle Beach, SC. Overall, his trip spanned 2,732.4 miles.
“This was accomplished with Tesla FSD V14.2 with absolutely 0 disengagements of any kind even for all parking including at Tesla Superchargers,” Moss stated in his post. He also added in later comments that there were zero close calls during the trip.
Tesla community celebrates
The FSD milestone trip was widely lauded by members of the Tesla community, especially since a coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions has been cited by Elon Musk as a target since October 2016, when Autopilot 2.0 was unveiled. At the time, Musk initially estimated that a coast-to-coast drive across the United States should be possible by the end of 2017. Considering Moss’ feat in his Model 3, it appears that Elon Musk’s estimate was not impossible at all. It was just late.
Musk himself celebrated the milestone on X, and so did Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy, who wrote “World’s first fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive, done with Tesla self-driving v14. Congrats and thank you @DavidMoss!” in a post on X. The official Tesla North America account also celebrated the feat, writing “First Tesla to drive itself from coast to coast w/ FSD Supervised. 0 interventions, all FSD” on X.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Elon Musk has announced that the Tesla Model Y has become the world’s best-selling car by volume for the third consecutive year, capping 2025 with another dominant performance.
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Three years in a row
Musk posted on X: “Tesla Model Y is now officially the world’s best-selling car for the third year in a row!” The CEO’s comment echoed an update that Tesla included in its 2025 recap, which highlighted, among other things, the Model Y’s incredible streak.
The Model Y has held the title since 2023, outperforming traditional leaders like the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla thanks to its bang-for-the-buck nature and its stellar combination of practicality, performance, and tech. The Model Y is also lauded as one of the safest vehicles on the road, making it an ideal choice for families in key markets such as China.
An impressive 2025
The Model Y’s sales feat in 2025 is especially impressive considering the introduction of the vehicle’s new variant. Tesla’s changeover to the new Model Y across its global factories resulted in sales being paused for some time in the first quarter. As per Tesla’s Q1 2025 vehicle delivery and production report, “the changeover of Model Y lines across all four of our factories led to the loss of several weeks of production in Q1.”
This suggests that the Model Y’s sales remained strong in 2025 to the point where it could still claim the title of the world’s best-selling vehicle by volume, even with its sales being throttled during the first quarter of the year. It would then be interesting to see just how far the Model Y can go in 2026, especially considering the rollout of new variants like the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L, the affordable Model Y Standard, and the top-tier Model Y Performance.
News
Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development.
Tesla has released an epic year-in-review video for 2025, recapping some of its major achievements from refreshed models to autonomy breakthroughs and production ramps.
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development while looking ahead to an even bigger 2026.
Tesla’s 2025 highlights recap
Tesla has had a busy 2025, as highlighted in the recap video. The video opened with Elon Musk explaining the company’s pursuit of sustainable abundance. A number of milestones were then highlighted, such as the rollout of FSD v14, Optimus’ numerous demos, the opening of the Tesla Diner in Hollywood, LA, the completion of the world’s first autonomous car delivery, and the launch of the Robotaxi network in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla also highlighted several of its accomplishments over the year. As per the company, the Model Y was the year’s best-selling vehicle globally again, and Teslas became more affordable than ever thanks to the Model 3 and Model Y Standard. Other key models were also rolled out, such as the refreshed Model S and X, as well as the new Model Y, the new Model Y Performance, and the six-seat, extended wheelbase Model Y L.
The Megablock was also unveiled during the year, and the Supercharger Network grew by 18%. Over 1 million Powerwalls were also installed during the year, and the Cybertruck became the first EV truck to get both an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award and an NHTSA 5-Star safety rating.
Cybercab production confirmed
Interestingly enough, Tesla also confirmed in its 2025 recap video that the production of the Cybercab has started. This bodes well for the vehicle, as it could result in the vehicle really being mass-produced in the first half of 2026. Elon Musk confirmed during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting that Cybercab production should earnestly start around April 2026.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab will be Tesla’s highest-volume vehicle yet, with the company aiming for an annual production rate of about 2 million units. “If you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line,” Musk said earlier this year. “It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line. In fact, the line will move so fast that actually people can’t even get close to it.”
Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
