News
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket spied at Pad 39A as December launch quartet aligns
Photographer Tom McCool lucked upon an open hangar door at Pad 39A on November 27, catching a fresh Falcon 9 Block 5 booster in the late stages of pre-launch integration.
Likely to launch one of two particularly important payloads sometime in the next 4-8 weeks, this booster spotting aligns with what is anticipated to be a fairly busy December for SpaceX, marked by four possible launches and preparations for the imminent inaugural test flight of Crew Dragon.
#SpaceX had the door open to the HIF at 39A this morning showing us a #Falcon9 pic.twitter.com/3aECxYP4Y7
— Tom (@Cygnusx112) November 27, 2018
At the moment, SpaceX is the juggling shipment, integration, and preflight checkouts of at least three shiny new Falcon 9 Block 5 rockets ahead of critical US Air Force and NASA launches in December and January. In order of anticipated launch date, those boosters are B1050, B1054, and B1051 for CRS-16 (Cargo Dragon), an upgraded GPS III satellite, and DM-1 (Crew Dragon), respectively.
CRS-16
On the East Coast, SpaceX’s next launch is the 16th operational resupply mission for Cargo Dragon, scheduled to deliver several tons of critical supplies to the International Space Station no earlier than (NET) December 4th. Set to launch from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Launch Complex 40 (LC-40), the new Block 5 booster B1050 is already integrated and at the ready inside the company’s LC-40 hangar, awaiting the arrival and attachment of a flight-proven Cargo Dragon.

While it’s unknown which Dragon capsule that will be, SpaceX has anywhere from 4-8 recovered spacecraft to choose from, although expendable trunks (a detachable aft section adorned with solar arrays and storage space) must still be built for each future resupply mission. According to CEO Elon Musk and other SpaceX executives, Cargo Dragon was designed from the start to be capable of at least three orbital missions with refurbishment, and it’s possible that CRS-16 could be the third launch for one such capsule.
After sending Cargo Dragon and the upper stage on their way, Falcon 9 B1050 will likely perform the first Block 5 Return To Launch Site (RTLS) recovery, performing a 180 degree flip and burning back towards the Florida coast to land just a few miles away from the launch site.
- A flight-proven Cargo Dragon prepares to launch in support of CRS-14. (Tom Cross)
- CRS-14’s flight-proven Cargo Dragon captured on orbit in April 2018 by astronaut Oleg Artemyev. (NASA/Oleg Artemyev)
GPS III-01 (the first of many)
Of the five launch contracts thus competed for the first ten GPS III satellite launches, SpaceX has won all five, while ULA’s Delta IV was awarded a launch contract for one of those satellites, leaving four more up for grabs in the next several years. The first ‘Space Vehicle’, GPS III serial number 01 (GPS III-01), is now ready for launch, pending the completion of certain USAF reviews of SpaceX’s recently-debuted Block 5 Falcon 9 upgrade.
Now targeting NET December 18, perhaps the most curious aspect of Falcon 9’s first GPS launch is the glaring reality that most signs currently point toward an intentionally expendable configuration of the new Falcon 9 Block 5 booster. Given that SpaceX has made it abundantly clear that Block 5 boosters at least aspire to be able to perform 10 launches with little to no refurbishment, expending a fresh booster without even a single reuse would carry a potentially immense opportunity cost.
Booster B1054 is set to be invovled with this mission. It's currently classed as "Expendable" meaning no recovery on the Eastern Range.
This is the passenger: pic.twitter.com/ohJFIz197P
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) November 19, 2018
By all reasonable estimation, Falcon 9 Block 5 should be able to place the ~3900 kg (8600 lb) GPS III satellite into a medium Earth orbit with plenty of margin left over for a drone ship recovery in the Atlantic. Likely to launch aboard Falcon 9 B1054, the only possible explanation for an expendable mission would be a request (or demand) from SpaceX’s customer, the USAF.
Crew Dragon’s orbital debut (DM-1)
Finally, SpaceX and NASA have – perhaps for the first time in the history of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) – set an actual date for the first orbital launch of a spacecraft developed under the program’s purview, in this case SpaceX’s Crew Dragon atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. NET January 7 2019, that date is certainly tenuous, but it effectively indicates that SpaceX is certain the hardware, software, and general operations side of things is all good to go. SpaceX is now more or less waiting on NASA’s dreadfully slow bureaucracy to perform the far more mundane duties of completing paperwork, coordinating ISS schedules to fit Crew Dragon in, and other miscellaneous tasks.
- In this illustration, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is shown in low-Earth orbit. (SpaceX)
- DM-2 astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley train for their first flight in Crew Dragon. (NASA)
- B1051 performed its last Texas static fire last month and has since shipped to Florida. (SpaceX)
Time will tell, but COO and President Gwynne Shotwell stated in October 2018 that she fully expected Falcon 9 and the first orbit-ready Crew Dragon to be vertical at Pad 39A before the month of December is out, basically ready to launch as soon as NASA and ISS scheduling are ready to allow it. It’s nearly impossible to know for sure, but the rocket spotted on Tuesday inside Pad 39A’s hangar could very well be Falcon 9 B1051 and a crew-ready upper stage preparing for Crew Dragon’s first autonomous test flight, or it could be B1054 (unconfirmed) in the late stages of preparation for SpaceX’s imminent GPS III launch.
All will be made clear in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s next launch – SSO-A on the West Coast – has slipped into the first few days of December thanks to some unusually harsh weather conditions above the launch pad.
Elon Musk
Tesla Earnings: financial expectations and what we should to hear about
In terms of discussions, Tesla earnings calls are usually a great time to get some clarification on the company’s outlook for its current and future projects.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) will report its earnings for the first quarter of 2026 this evening after the market closes, and analysts have already put out their expectations from a financial standpoint for the company’s first three months of the year.
Additionally, there will be plenty of things that will be discussed, including the recent expansion of the Robotaxi program, the Roadster unveiling, and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) approvals across the globe.
Financial Expectations
Wall Street consensus expectations put Tesla’s Earnings Per Share (EPS) at $0.36, while revenues are expected to come in around $22.35 billion.
This would compare to an EPS of $0.27 and $19.34 billion compared to Tesla’s Q1 2025. Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.50 on $29.4 billion of revenue.
Tesla beat analyst expectations last quarter, but the next trading day, the stock fell nearly 3.5 percent. We never quite can gauge how the market will respond to Tesla’s earnings; we’ve seen shares rise on a miss and fall on a beat.
It really goes on the news, and investor consensus, it seems.
What to Expect
In terms of discussions, Tesla earnings calls are usually a great time to get some clarification on the company’s outlook for its current and future projects. Right now, the big focus of investors is the Robotaxi program, the Roadster unveiling, and what the outlook for Full Self-Driving’s expansion throughout Europe and the rest of the world looks like.
Robotaxi
Tesla just recently expanded its unsupervised Robotaxi program to Dallas and Houston, joining Austin as the first cities in the U.S. to have access to the company’s ride-hailing suite.
Tesla expands Unsupervised Robotaxi service to two new cities
Some saw this move as a quick effort to turn attention away from a delivery miss and an anticipated miss on earnings. However, we’ve seen Tesla be more than deliberate with its expansion of the Robotaxi suite, so it’s hard to believe the company would make this move if it were not truly ready to do so.
The company is also working to expand its U.S. ride-hailing service outside of Texas and California, and recently filed paperwork to build a Robotaxi-exclusive Supercharger stall.
Expansion is planned for Florida, Nevada, and Arizona at some point this year, with more states to follow.
Roadster Unveiling
The Roadster unveiling was slated for April 1, and then pushed back (once again) to “probably late April,” according to Elon Musk.
It does not appear that the Roadster unveiling will happen within that time frame, at least not to our knowledge. Nobody has received media or press invites for a Roadster unveiling, and given the lofty expectations set for the vehicle by Musk and Co., it seems like something they’d want to show off to the public.
The Roadster has become a truly frustrating project for Tesla and its fans; evidently, there is something that is not up to the expectations Musk and others have. Meanwhile, fans are essentially waiting for something that is six years late.
At this point, also given the company’s focus on autonomy, it almost seems more worth it to just cancel it, remove any and all timelines and expectations, and surprise people with something crazy down the line, maybe in two or three years. There should be no talk of it.
Full Self-Driving Global Expansion
We expect Musk and Co. to shed some details on where it stands with other European government bodies, as it recently was able to roll out FSD (Supervised) to customers in the Netherlands.
Spain is also working with Tesla to assess FSD’s viability as a publicly available option for owners.
With that being said, there should be some additional information for investors as they listen to the call; no talk of it would be a pretty big letdown.
Optimus
There will likely be a date set for the Gen 3 Optimus unveiling, and we’re hopeful Tesla can keep that date set in stone and meet it. Not reaching timelines is a relatively minor issue, but a company can only do this for so long before its fans and investors start to lose trust and disregard any talk about dates.
It seems this is happening already.
Optimus has been pegged as Tesla’s big money maker for the future. The goals and expectations are high, but it is a privilege to have that sort of pressure when investors know the company’s capability.
News
Tesla just unlocked sales to 50,000+ government agencies
It marks a significant step in expanding Tesla’s presence in the public sector, where procurement processes have traditionally slowed electric vehicle adoption.
Tesla just unlocked sales to over 50,000 government agencies by entering a new agreement with Sourcewell, a purchasing cooperative.
Tesla entered a new master purchasing agreement with Sourcewell, the largest government purchasing cooperative in the U.S. This will enable streamlined sales of its EVs to more than 50,000 U.S. public entities. Tesla entered Designated Contract 0813525-TES, and the agreement covers Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck, and potentially other vehicles the company could release.
It marks a significant step in expanding Tesla’s presence in the public sector, where procurement processes have traditionally slowed electric vehicle adoption.
The deal allows eligible agencies, including cities, school districts, state governments, and higher-education institutions, to purchase Tesla vehicles directly through Sourcewell without conducting their own lengthy competitive bidding or request-for-proposal (RFP) processes.
Pricing is pre-negotiated and capped, providing transparency and predictability. Agencies simply register for a Sourcewell account online or by phone and place orders under the existing contract. This cooperative model aggregates demand across thousands of members, reducing administrative costs and time while ensuring compliance with public procurement rules.
For Tesla, the agreement removes major barriers to government fleet sales. Public-sector procurement cycles often stretch 12 to 18 months due to bidding requirements and committee reviews.
Tesla buyers in the U.S. military can get $1,000 off Cybertruck purchases
By securing the master contract, Tesla gains immediate, simplified access to a massive customer base that previously faced friction in adopting EVs. The company highlighted in its announcement that the partnership will help these 50,000-plus agencies “save thousands of $$$ in operating costs for their vehicle fleet over time” through lower maintenance, energy efficiency, and the elimination of tailpipe emissions.
The initial four-year term runs through November 13, 2029, with options for up to three one-year extensions, offering long-term stability for both parties.
Sourcewell’s role is central to execution. As a cooperative purchasing organization, it negotiates and manages vendor contracts on behalf of its members, then makes them available nationwide. Participating entities contact Tesla’s dedicated fleet team or Sourcewell representatives to complete purchases, bypassing redundant paperwork.
This structure accelerates fleet electrification while maintaining fiscal accountability—agencies receive pre-vetted pricing and terms without reinventing the wheel for each vehicle order.
The partnership positions Tesla to capture a larger share of the public fleet market, where total cost of ownership often favors electric vehicles once procurement hurdles are removed.
For government buyers, it translates to faster deployment of sustainable fleets, reduced long-term expenses, and alignment with environmental mandates. As more agencies transition, the contract could contribute to broader EV infrastructure growth and taxpayer savings across the country.
Elon Musk
How much of SpaceX will Elon Musk own after IPO will surprise you
SpaceX’s IPO filing confirms Musk will maintain his voting power to make key decisions for the company.
Elon Musk will retain dominant voting control of SpaceX after it goes public, according to the company’s IPO prospectus that was filed with the SEC. The filing reveals a dual-class equity structure giving Class B shareholders 10 votes each, concentrating power with Musk and a handful of other insiders, while Class A shares sold to public investors carry one vote.
Musk holds approximately 42% of SpaceX’s equity and controls roughly 79% of its votes through super-voting shares. He will simultaneously serve as CEO, CTO, and chairman of the nine-member board after the listing. Beyond that, the filing includes provisions that may limit shareholders’ influence over board elections and legal actions, forcing disputes into arbitration and restricting where they can be brought.
The case for Musk holding this level of control is grounded in SpaceX’s actual history. The company’s most important bets, from reusable rockets to a global satellite internet constellation, were decisions that ran against conventional aerospace thinking and would likely have faced resistance from a board accountable to investor gains. Fully reusable rockets were considered economically irrational by established industry players for years. Starlink, which now generates over $4 billion in annual operating profit, was widely dismissed as financially unviable when it was proposed. The argument for concentrated founder control seems straightforward, and the decisions that built SpaceX into what it is today required someone willing to ignore consensus and absorb years of losses.
SpaceX files confidentially for IPO that will rewrite the record books
For context, Musk’s position is significantly more dominant than Zuckerberg’s at Meta. The comparison with Tesla is also worth noting. When Tesla did its IPO in 2010, it did not issue dual-class shares. Musk has only recently pushed for enhanced voting protection, proposing at least 25% control at Tesla in 2024 after selling shares to fund his Twitter acquisition left him with around 13%.
SpaceX has clearly learned from that experience and structured the IPO differently by planning to allocate up to 30% of shares to retail investors, roughly three times the typical norm for a large offering. The roadshow is expected to begin the week of June 8, with a Nasdaq listing rumored to be a $1.75 trillion valuation and a $75 billion raise.




