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SpaceX posts uncut Falcon 9 launch and landing footage and audio

SpaceX has released an uncut Falcon 9 launch and landing video an included unprecedented audio. (SpaceX)

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SpaceX has released uncut footage of one of its most recent Falcon 9 launches and landings, including unprecedented onboard audio from the rocket through all phases of flight.

The rocket in question, Falcon 9 booster B1059, ended months of delays when it lifted off at long last on August 30th, sending a new upper stage, payload fairing, and an Argentinian Earth observation satellite on their way to orbit. Known as SAOCOM 1B, the second of a pair of synthetic aperture radar satellites launch by SpaceX deployed from Falcon 9 less than 15 minutes after liftoff, followed by two rideshare payloads roughly 45 minutes later.

Booster B1059 separated from the rest of Falcon 9 a little over two minutes after launch and quickly flipped around to perform a boostback burn – quite literally slowing down to zero from Mach 5 and then boosting several dozen miles back towards the Florida coast. The rocket ended its fourth launch with a gentle landing at Landing Zone-1, effectively completing a ~200 km (~120 mi) aerial journey in less than eight minutes with an average velocity substantially faster than the speed of sound.

In the booster camera video SpaceX unexpectedly released after mission completion, one thing stands out above all else: an uninterrupted audio recording of the rocket from liftoff to landing. In the past, SpaceX has occasionally released the odd video from a Falcon 9 booster’s onboard camera, the most recent instance of which was published in 2016. In one other memorable case, SpaceX’s April 2018 launch of NASA’s TESS exoplanet observatory was blessed with uncut booster camera footage during the live webcast. SpaceX never technically released that footage on its own but it was easy enough to cut it from the webcast to offer a clean, uninterrupted view of a Falcon 9 booster launch and landing.

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Regardless, in all prior instances and webcasts with booster camera footage, SpaceX has never included audio. It’s generally understood that most modern launch vehicles – including Falcon 9 – are outfitted with numerous high-fidelity microphones. Unintuitively, multiple separate, time-synchronized audio recordings can be used to quite literally triangulate the source of rocket hardware issues in the event of a failure – a technique SpaceX has used to its benefit to investigate Falcon 9’s first in-flight failure in 2015.

In this case, the audio serves no technical purpose but does offer the best birds-ear perspective of a Falcon 9 launch yet published. Roughly sped up by a factor of four, SpaceX’s SAOCOM 1B audio captures the passenger jet-esque whine of Falcon 9’s Merlin 1D turbopumps, the brief silence of engine cutoff, the whistle and vibration of atmospheric reentry, the thump of cold-gas thrusters maintaining the rocket’s attitude in vacuum, and even the clunk of landing leg deployment, among many other notable sounds.

B1059 races towards LZ-1 ahead of its third successful landing. (Richard Angle)

Thanks to a relatively gentle and low-energy landing as a result of the low Earth orbit required by SAOCOM 1B, Falcon 9 B1059 will likely be turned around for a fifth launch and landing in the very near future. The booster may even have a shot at breaking SpaceX’s rocket turnaround record – currently held by Falcon 9 B1058 with two launches just 51 days apart.

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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 FSD mocks BMW human driver: Saves pedestrian from near miss

Tesla FSD anticipated a BMW driver’s lane drift before the human behind the wheel could react.

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A video posted to r/TeslaFSD this week put a sharp spotlight on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software being able to react to pedestrian intent than an actual human driver behind the wheel. In the Reddit clip, a BMW driver can be seen rolling through a neighborhood street completely unaware of a pedestrian stepping in to cross. At the same time, a Tesla  driving on FSD had already begun slowing down before the pedestrian even began their attempt to cross the street The BMW kept moving, prompting the pedestrian to hop back, while the Tesla came to a stop and provide right-of-way for the human to safely cross.

That gap between what the BMW driver saw and what FSD had already processed is the story. Tesla FSD wasn’t reacting to a person in the street, rather it was reading the signals that a person was about to enter it based on the pedestrian’s movement, trajectory, and their trajectory to telegraph intent.

Tesla’s FSD is now built on an end-to-end neural network trained on billions of real-world miles, learning to interpret subtle human behavioral cues the same way an experienced human driver does instinctively. The difference is consistency. A human driver distracted for two seconds misses what FSD does not.

Tesla sues California DMV over Autopilot and FSD advertising ruling

Reddit commenters in the thread were blunt about the BMW driver’s failure, with several pointing out that the pedestrian was visible well before the crossing. One response put it plainly that the car on FSD saw the situation developing before the human in the other car had registered there was a situation at all.

Tesla has published data showing FSD (Supervised) is 54% safer than a human driver, accumulated across billions of miles driven on the system. Elon Musk has said FSD v14 will outperform human drivers by a factor of two to three, and that v15 has “a shot” at a 10x improvement. Pedestrian safety is where the stakes are highest, and where intent prediction closes the gap fastest. At 30 mph, a car covers roughly 44 feet per second. An extra second of awareness from reading a person’s body language rather than waiting for them to step out is often the difference between a near miss and a fatality.

Video and community discussion: r/TeslaFSD on Reddit

FSD saves man from becoming a pancake. BMW driver nearly flattens him.
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Tesla Robotaxi gets a small but significant change

In the world of Tesla, where billion-dollar battery breakthroughs and autonomy milestones dominate headlines, a quiet design update can still pack a punch.

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Credit: David Moss | X

In the world of Tesla, where billion-dollar battery breakthroughs and autonomy milestones dominate headlines, a quiet design update can still pack a punch.

Last week in downtown Austin, sharp-eyed observers spotted a subtle but telling evolution on the Cybercab: a new “ROBOTAXI” logo graphic now graces the vehicle’s doors at Tesla’s Autonomy Popup.

What looks at first glance like a minor stylistic choice is, in fact, a deliberate rebranding move that hints at how the company envisions its robotaxi fleet fitting into everyday life.

The updated lettering is bold, graffiti-inspired, and unapologetically street-smart. Rendered in black with dripping white accents and a glowing yellow outline, the font evokes urban energy and playful irreverence.

Gone is the sleek, minimalist typography that defined earlier Cybercab prototypes. In its place is something more human, almost rebellious.

The new logo pops against the Cybercab’s smooth, metallic body, turning the autonomous pod into a rolling piece of public art rather than just another futuristic taxi.

Designers know that fonts are silent brand ambassadors. They shape perception before a single ride is taken. Tesla’s classic sans-serif aesthetic screams precision engineering and Silicon Valley cool.

The new Robotaxi script leans into accessibility and fun, suggesting the vehicle is approachable, not intimidating. For a product meant to ferry strangers through city streets 24/7, that matters. It signals that the robotaxi isn’t reserved for tech elites; it’s for everyone.

Tesla Cybercab spotted next to Model Y shows size comparison

The timing is no accident. With regulatory approvals for unsupervised autonomy advancing and Tesla preparing to scale Cybercab production, the company is shifting from prototype showcase to fleet deployment.

A fresh logo helps differentiate the vehicles visually in dense urban environments—crucial for rider recognition and brand recall. It also aligns with Elon Musk’s long-standing ethos: make the future feel exciting, not sterile.

Small changes like this often foreshadow a larger strategy. Tesla has always obsessed over details—door handles, screen interfaces, even the curvature of a steering wheel.

Updating the Robotaxi font reflects the same meticulous care now applied to consumer-facing autonomy. It’s not just paint on metal; it’s a statement that the ride of the future should feel personal, memorable, and undeniably cool.

In an industry racing toward self-driving fleets, Tesla’s willingness to evolve even the smallest visual cues shows confidence. A font won’t launch the robotaxi network, but it might just help millions climb aboard with a smile.

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Tesla makes latest announcement on Model S and Model X

The announcement follows Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement on the Q4 2025 earnings call in late January. Musk described the decision as an “honorable discharge” for the two vehicles, noting that production would wind down in Q2 2026.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially begun winding down production of its flagship Model S and Model X in the United States, notifying owners via email that the long-running models will soon reach the end of the line.

The email, sent to U.S. customers on March 27, opens with gratitude. “Model S and Model X marked the beginning of the world’s transition to electric transportation,” it reads. “These vehicles also made it possible for Tesla to develop the technology that would move our world toward autonomy.”

Tesla officially begins sunset of Model S and Model X

It then delivers the news directly: “As we make way for this autonomous future, Model S and Model X production will be ending. If you’d like to bring home a new Model S or Model X, order yours soon from our limited inventory.”

The message closes with a simple thank-you: “Thank you for being part of our journey.”

The announcement follows Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement on the Q4 2025 earnings call in late January. Musk described the decision as an “honorable discharge” for the two vehicles, noting that production would wind down in Q2 2026.

The move frees factory floor space at Fremont, California, for next-generation manufacturing, including Optimus humanoid robots and the upcoming Robotaxi platform.

Introduced in 2012 and 2015, respectively, the Model S and Model X were Tesla’s original halo cars. They proved EVs could outperform gasoline luxury vehicles in acceleration, range, and tech features while pioneering over-the-air updates and early autonomy hardware.

Although they never matched the volume of the Model 3 and Model Y, their engineering breakthroughs laid the foundation for the company’s current lineup and full self-driving development.

Early adopters highlighted how the cars convinced them to invest in Tesla stock and the EV movement. Some U.S. owners who had not yet received the note voiced mild frustration, and international customers confirmed the outreach remains U.S.-only for now.

Tesla has not detailed an exact final production date beyond the Q2 2026 target or confirmed immediate replacements. Speculation continues about a possible Cybertruck-derived SUV, but the company’s public focus has shifted squarely to autonomy and robotics.

For buyers still interested in the S or X, the window is closing. Inventory is described as limited, and Tesla’s Korean division has already set a March 31 cutoff for new orders in that market. The email serves as both a farewell and final sales push, an elegant close to a chapter that helped define modern electric driving.

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