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SpaceX fires up Falcon 9 booster destined for Crew Dragon’s astronaut launch debut

SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1058 successfully completed a static fire in a critical step towards Crew Dragon's first crewed launch. (SpaceX)

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SpaceX announced that it has successfully completed a routine static fire acceptance test of the Falcon 9 booster that will eventually support Crew Dragon’s inaugural astronaut launch, expected no earlier than early 2020.

The booster in question – believed to be Falcon 9 B1058 – is very likely the first new Falcon 9 booster SpaceX has shipped to McGregor, Texas and test-fired in more than four months, an unusual lull for the typically busy launch company. If all goes according to plan, B1058 will become SpaceX’s first truly human-rated commercial rocket and will support its first human spaceflight attempt ever, a huge milestone along the company’s path to the sustainable colonization of Mars.

After multiple years of cooperative agreements and funding awards, NASA contracted with providers SpaceX and Boeing in September 2014 to deliver US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on their respective Crew Dragon and Starliner spacecraft. Initially hoped to result in the first orbital launches as early as late-2017, Congress’ chronic and systematic underfunding of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) – as well as a tinge of naive optimism in both providers – combined to delay those launch debuts by multiple years.

SpaceX performed a successful static fire of Falcon 9 B1051 – the first Crew Dragon-rated booster – on October 25th, 2018, a milestone followed more than four months later by an impressively flawless orbital debut of the next-generation spacecraft. Boeing anticipates that Starliner’s own uncrewed orbital debut could occur as early as October 2019, while Starliner’s crewed flight debut is unlikely to occur until Q1 2020.

A render of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. (Boeing)
Crew Dragon approaches the ISS during its orbital launch debut, March 3rd. (NASA)

Human spaceflight: it ain’t easy

Although Crew Dragon’s inaugural launch, orbital mission, reentry, and landing was so flawless that SpaceX’s director of mission management stated that he “[couldn’t] believe how well the whole mission has gone”, the recovered spacecraft was destroyed during a catastrophic and highly consequential explosion less than six weeks after splashdown. After a thorough three-month investigation, SpaceX and NASA announced their preliminary findings on July 15th, 2019, concluding that an exotic titanium fire most likely killed the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Both NASA and SpaceX spokespersons were quite blunt about their opinions that it was possible – albeit highly unlikely – that Crew Dragon would be able to perform its first crewed launch before the end of 2019, a mission that was nominally planned as early as July or August 2019 prior to capsule C201’s explosion.

As such, it’s all but certain that Crew Dragon’s Demo-2 test flight will slip into early 2020, perhaps January or February barring additional delays. On a more positive note, SpaceX appears to be on track for a critical in-flight abort (IFA) test of Crew Dragon – using the spacecraft originally intended for Demo-2 – in “October or November”. Certain to be a spectacular flight one way or another, the Falcon 9 booster – believed to be B1046.4 – and upper stage set to support the test will likely be destroyed immediately after Dragon separates, smashing head-on into a veritable wall of supersonic air.

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By all appearances, Falcon 9 B1058’s McGregor, TX static fire is the facility’s first booster static fire since late-April 2019, an extremely rare lull for a company that averaged the completion of almost one new booster per month in 2018. This can likely be explained in large part by the spectacular success of SpaceX’s highly-reusable Falcon 9 Block 5 upgrade.

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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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Tesla coding shows affordable model details, including potential price

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Credit: @tslaming | X

Coding within Tesla’s website appears to have potentially revealed some details of the affordable model it plans to launch, including its possible price.

Although these details are unconfirmed by the company, recent sightings of the vehicle have sparked significant speculation as to what it will offer.

Tesla said a few months back that it had already successfully built the first few test units of the affordable model. CEO Elon Musk revealed later that it would essentially be a stripped-down version of the Model Y with a handful of changes.

We had our first look at what those changes appear to be, as what is likely the new affordable model was spotted on roads near Gigafactory Texas yesterday. It is a Model Y body with some Model 3 features.

It lacks the light bar that the new Model Y has and instead equips headlights similar to those of the Model 3 “Highland.”

Affordable Tesla Model Y spotted without camouflage near Giga Texas

Other design changes appear to include no glass roof and new wheels. Some rumors have also indicated that Tesla plans to use a cheaper, textile interior, devoid of the flashy features that its other cars are equipped with, including no rear screen, no HEPA system, and manually adjustable second-row air vents.

However, coding within the Tesla website seemed to reveal some pretty significant details about the new affordable model, including its name, which differs from the E41 codename it was given, its price, and a complete list of features.

This was found by Tesla Newswire on X. Here’s what the coding showed for the car. Note that this was found in coding, and is not necessarily confirmation from Tesla regarding what it plans to offer:

  • Name – Model Y Standard
  • Price $39,990
  • Redesigned front fascia
  • Single-part headlights
  • Front bumper camera
  • No glass roof, noted as a “closed glass roof”
  • 18″ Aperture wheels
  • Manually adjustable steering wheel
  • Textile décor
  • 15.4″ front touchscreen
  • No second-row touchscreen
  • Manually adjustable air vents in the second row
  • No HEPA system
  • 75 cu. fu. cargo space

Here’s what the coding looked like:

Many believe these could be the specs and details of the new affordable model, but others think Tesla might be baiting the community. Tesla knows its fans well, and many of them are sharp enough to examine some of the core portions of its website, looking for clues.

The company is well aware that these breadcrumbs will be discovered, and could be putting anything to drive up interest and chatter about what it could release. It certainly seems as if the price tag is a tad high, which tends to push some skepticism about the coding.

However, we’ll take anything we can get at this point. It is important to note that this coding is not a confirmation of details from Tesla.

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Affordable Tesla Model Y spotted without camouflage near Giga Texas

The vehicle had clean lines and it looked sleek, though it was also notably simpler than the standard Model Y.

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Credit: Ryan Mable/X

The tea leaves seem to be pointing towards the imminent release of the highly anticipated affordable Tesla Model Y. This was hinted at in recent observations from notable Tesla influencers on social media, as well as a sighting of the vehicle without any camouflage.

The affordable Tesla uncovered

Sightings of the affordable Model Y have been abounding as of late, though details of the vehicle were still hidden by coverings on the vehicle. In a recent post on X from Firefly engineer Ryan Mable, however, noted Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt has reportedly “spotted an uncovered cheaper Model Y variant” driving near Giga Texas. 

Several images of the uncovered vehicle were shared online. Based on the photos that were shared by Mable, the affordable Model Y seemed to feature a fascia that’s inspired by the Model 3 sedan. Its roof also looked blacked out. Overall, the vehicle had clean lines and it looked sleek, though it was also notably simpler than the standard Model Y.

Tesla influencer mystery

Interestingly enough, several Tesla influencers apart from Merritt posted that they were in Giga Texas. These included drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer, teardown specialist Sandy Munro, and reviewers Kyle Conner and Kim Java. These influencers have not provided any context behind their Giga Texas trip, though the fact that they were gathered on the site brought speculations that Tesla might have invited the group for a teaser or a private unveiling event of sorts.

It remains to be seen when the affordable Model Y would be made available, though conversations now are centered on the vehicle’s potential price. Previous reports suggested that the car might be priced just below $40,000, which many believe would result in very low sales, though some have also speculated that the affordable Model Y could be priced below $35,000, which would likely make it a strong seller.

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Why Tesla’s Q4 performance could shock many after incredible Q3

There is still some residual impact to be felt as we enter Q4, and there is a potential shock coming to many investors as it could be stronger than what many think:

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla reported vehicle deliveries and energy deployments for the third quarter of 2025 today, blowing analyst estimations from Wall Street firms completely out of the water with its strongest three-month performance in company history.

The strong performance, which resulted in nearly half a million vehicle deliveries in the quarter, was largely driven by the momentum of the EV tax credit, which expired at the end of September, marking the end of the $7,500 discount that was previously available.

Tesla hits record vehicle deliveries and energy deployments in Q3 2025

This was a massive contributor to Tesla’s record-high in vehicle deliveries, as consumers rushed to take advantage of the credit.

There is still some residual impact to be felt as we enter Q4, and there is a potential shock coming to many investors as it could be stronger than what many think:

EV Tax Credit Deliveries Will Continue Through Q4

Despite the credit’s expiration, people will still be able to take advantage of it because the IRS changed the rules mid-quarter.

Prospective buyers can utilize the credit after September 30 if they place an order for an EV and make a marginal payment on the car.

Tesla’s $250 order deposit qualified as the marginal payment, so as long as the order was submitted before the end of the day on September 30, they could still take delivery in Q4 or even Q1 and still take advantage of the credit.

Tesla set to win big after IRS adjusts EV tax credit rules

With the Model Y Performance launching in the U.S. on September 30, that undoubtedly contributed to some orders. However, there are likely many people who ordered in the latter portion of Q3 and have not yet taken delivery. These will all contribute to Q4 delivery figures.

Seasonal Holiday Boost

Tesla traditionally has its strongest quarters in Q4, as the company typically introduces initiatives such as price cuts, incentives, and other offers to close out the year strong.

Car buyers are more likely to jump at these offers as well, as gifts for either themselves or others. What Tesla does in the final quarter of the year is usually boosted by whatever types of offers it can make.

Affordable Model Production Ramp

Tesla is likely preparing for the launch of its affordable model, which is essentially a stripped-down Model Y.

Some rumors have been circulating within the community, indicating that the company is nearing the sale of this vehicle, which is coded within Tesla’s website as the “Model Y Standard.”

If Tesla is able to lock in some good pricing on its affordable model, Tesla could see its quarterly figures return to QoQ growth, something that the company has not had in a few years.

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