News
SpaceX to ring in Falcon 9 Block 5 future with record-speed Block 4 reuse
SpaceX is days away from effectively bringing to a close an era of moderately reusable Falcon 9s that paved the way for the company’s Block 5 rocket upgrade, designed to dramatically improve reliability and reusability. As if foreshadowing the future its culmination will ring in, the CRS-15 mission will beat SpaceX’s previous record for back-to-back Falcon 9 booster launches by nearly a factor of two.
Scheduled to launch at 5:42 am EDT June 29, the CRS-15 Cargo Dragon mission will be SpaceX’s fourth launch of an orbital, flight-proven spacecraft, and will also cut almost two months off of the Falcon 9 booster refurbishment process. The particular booster, number B1045, launched just two months ago on April 18 before landing aboard SpaceX’s Atlantic drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY). After returning to shore, the rocket was transported by road the short few miles from Port Canaveral to Kennedy Space Center and SpaceX’s LC-39A integration facilities, where it is believed to have spent the last nine weeks undergoing moderate repairs, part replacements, and checkouts. Just yesterday, the once-flown booster took to Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) for the second time to complete a preflight static fire, intended to ensure that the rocket is healthy before launch.
Rocket and spacecraft for CRS-15 are flight-proven. Falcon 9’s first stage previously launched @NASA_TESS two months ago, and Dragon flew to the @Space_Station in support of our ninth resupply mission in 2016.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 23, 2018
In reality, the actual time available for B1045’s refurbishment was thus several days less than two months – the only other routinely reusable rocket, the Space Shuttle, lays claim to a fairly staggering record of just 26 days of actual refurbishment, although it’s worth considering the fact that a single one of the Shuttle’s 3 RS-25 rocket engines have been estimated to cost as much as $60 million, considerably more than two thirds of the price of an entire SpaceX mission for NASA.
The first Block 5 Falcon 9 lifts off on May 4, 2018. (Tom Cross)
Although CRS-15 will likely see its venerable Block 4 Falcon 9 booster expended in the ocean without a recovery attempt, the speed of Falcon 9 B1045’s refurbishment is thrilling for another, more abstract reason: if the design functions largely as intended, a Falcon 9 Block 5 booster should be able to handily crush that already impressive record with ease, and one will perhaps do just that within a handful of months of this launch.
Currently scheduled for no earlier than (NET) July 19 and late July to early August, the Telstar 19V and 18V communications satellites will require their own Block 5 launches roughly a month from today, and July 20’s Iridium NEXT-7 mission will further require its own Falcon 9 Block 5 booster for a mission from California. It remains to be seen what boosters will launch those three missions, as well as an additional two SpaceX missions tentatively scheduled for August and September.
-
- After launching in April 2018, B1045 landed on OCISLY and is being refurbished for a second launch in just 5 days, on June 29. (Tom Cross)
-
- Falcon 9 B1045 spied in transport from Port Canaveral to LC-39A, April 24. (Instagram /u/xxxtreme81)
-
- B1045 enters SpaceX’s 39A integration and refurbishment facilities, April 24. (Reddit /u/NewRage)
Of note, those upcoming July launches will see both of SpaceX’s drone ships – Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) on the Pacific, OCISLY in the Atlantic – return to action, with JRTI’s return bringing to an end nearly a full year of inactivity. With a heavy summer and fall manifest of all Block 5 Falcon 9s just around the corner, both drone ships are likely to be busier than ever before. Teslarati photographers Tom Cross (Florida) and Pauline Acalin (California) will be there to document the flurry of launches and recoveries on both coasts over the busy second half of 2018.
The drone ship Of Course I Still Love You spotted in Port Canaveral, FL last December. (Instagram /u/ johnabc123)
Follow us for live updates, peeks behind the scenes, and photos from Teslarati’s East and West Coast photographers.
Teslarati – Instagram – Twitter
Tom Cross – Twitter
Pauline Acalin – Twitter
Eric Ralph – Twitter
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares updated Starship V3 maiden launch target date
The comment was posted on Musk’s official account on social media platform X.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a brief Starship V3 update in a post on social media platform X, stating the next launch attempt of the spacecraft could take place in about four weeks.
The comment was posted on Musk’s official account on social media platform X.
Musk’s update suggests that Starship Flight 12 could target a launch around early April, though the schedule will depend on several remaining milestones at SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in Texas.
Among the key steps is testing and certification of the site’s new launch tower, launch mount, and tank farm systems. These upgrades will support the next generation of Starship vehicles.
Booster 19 is expected to roll to the launch site and be placed on the launch mount before returning to the production facility to receive its 33 Raptor engines. The booster would then return for a static fire test, which could mark the first time a Super Heavy booster equipped with Raptor V3 engines is fired on the pad.
Ship 39 is expected to undergo a similar preparation process. The vehicle will likely return to the production site to receive its six engines before heading to Massey’s test site for static fire testing.
Once both stages are prepared, the booster and ship will roll out to the launch site for the first full stack of a V3 Super Heavy and V3 Starship. A full wet dress rehearsal is expected to follow before any launch attempt.
Elon Musk has previously shared how SpaceX plans to eventually recover Starship’s upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. Musk noted that the company will only attempt to catch the Starship spacecraft after two successful soft landings in the ocean. The approach is intended to reduce risk before attempting a recovery over land.
“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Such a milestone would represent a major step toward the full reuse of the Starship system, which remains a central goal for SpaceX’s long-term launch strategy.
News
Tesla opens first public Tesla Semi Megacharger site in Los Angeles
The development was highlighted in a post on social media platform X by the official Tesla Semi account.
Tesla has opened its first public Tesla Semi Megacharger site in Los Angeles. The station reportedly offers up to 750 kW charging speeds and is open to Tesla Semi customers.
The development was highlighted in a post on social media platform X by the official Tesla Semi account.
Tesla Semi Megachargers
The Los Angeles site seems to be the first public Tesla Semi Megacharger that is not located at a Tesla factory. It is also the third Megacharger site currently visible on Tesla’s map.
The Megacharger system is designed specifically for the Tesla Semi and is capable of delivering extremely high charging speeds to support long-haul trucking operations. Infrastructure such as this will likely play a key role in making the Semi competitive with diesel-powered transport trucks.
Tesla’s progress with the Semi has also drawn attention in recent days after Elon Musk biographer Ashlee Vance shared photos from inside the Tesla Semi factory near Giga Nevada. The images suggested that preparations for higher production volumes may be underway, hinting that a broader ramp of the Tesla Semi’s production indeed be approaching.
New deployment strategies
Tesla has continued expanding its broader charging network through several new strategies aimed at accelerating infrastructure deployment. One of these initiatives is the Supercharger for Business program, which allows third parties to purchase Tesla Supercharger equipment and deploy charging stations while still integrating with Tesla’s network.
The program recently marked a milestone in Alpharetta, Georgia, where the city deployed four 325 kW city-branded Superchargers near the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety on Old Milton Parkway. The chargers support the city’s Tesla Model Y police vehicles while also remaining accessible to the public.
As per a report from EVwire, the project was designed not only to support fleet charging but also to generate economic returns that could offset the city’s investment. Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program has already attracted several participants, including businesses and charging providers such as Suncoast Charging, Pie Safe bakery in Idaho, Francis Energy in Oklahoma, and Wawa convenience stores.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop moves 82k riders during CONEXPO
The Loop’s feat was highlighted by The Boring Company in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
The Boring Company said its Vegas Loop system transported roughly 82,000 passengers during the recent CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction trade show in Las Vegas. The event was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) from March 3-7, 2026.
The Loop’s feat was highlighted by The Boring Company in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction trade shows in North America. This year’s event was quite impressive, attracting more than 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries across the world.
Considering the number of this year’s attendees, the LVCC Loop seemed to have proven itself to be a very useful transportation solution. A video posted by The Boring Company on its official X account featured attendees expressing their enthusiasm for the underground transport system, with some stating that they would like to see similar tunnels across Las Vegas.
The LVCC Loop is only part of the greater Vegas Loop network, which is actively under construction.
New Vegas Loop extensions
One of the newest additions is a station at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort on the Strip. The station is located on level V-1 of the resort’s south valet area, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. From the Fontainebleau, passengers can travel free of charge to stations serving the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as to Loop stations at Encore and Westgate.
The system is also expanding beyond the Strip corridor. In December, The Boring Company began offering Vegas Loop rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport. These trips include a limited above-ground segment after receiving approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority to allow surface street travel tied to Loop operations.
The Boring Company President Steve Davis previously told the Review-Journal that the University Center Loop segment, which is currently under construction, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. The extension would allow Loop vehicles to travel beneath Paradise Road between the convention center and the airport, with a planned station just north of Tropicana Avenue.
Elon Musk shares updated Starship V3 maiden launch target date
Tesla opens first public Tesla Semi Megacharger site in Los Angeles
