SpaceX
SpaceX’s flawless Falcon Heavy Block 5 launch and landing in pictures
In the afterglow of SpaceX’s successful Falcon Heavy Block 5 debut, also the rocket’s first commercial mission, there is no better time to appreciate the countless dozens upon dozens of photos and videos taken of Falcon Heavy’s launch and back-to-back booster landings.
Teslarati photographers Tom Cross and Pauline Acalin were both on the ground with more than eight cameras split between them, many of which were able to capture some spectacular photos of the world’s largest rocket throughout its flawless commercial debut. Perhaps most notable are photos and videos from those with cameras (or job sites) near SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Landing Zones 1 and 2, in some cases producing videos of the multiple sonic booms produced by Falcon Heavy’s side boosters during the transition from hypersonic to subsonic speeds.
Both Teslarati photographers produced some amazing photos over the course of setting up cameras to capture Falcon Heavy and observing its commercial launch debut from approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) away. This included distant shots of Falcon Heavy during all visible stages of flight, including liftoff, ascent, side booster separation, and both side booster landings.
Inside the splash zone
SpaceX’s own official remote cameras then joined press photographers like Tom and Pauline to capture Falcon Heavy’s Pad 39A liftoff from a distance that would likely maim or kill a human standing in the same position. Triggered to snap photos by the actual sound of the rocket launching, these cameras can capture views that would otherwise be nearly inaccessible.
At liftoff, Falcon Heavy Block 5 likely produces anywhere from 5.1-5.6 million pounds of thrust (23,000-25,500 kN) that is immediately countered by a huge deluge of water used to prevent the sheer sound of its Merlin 1D engines from damaging themselves or other parts of the rocket. This ends up producing spectacular clouds of steam, often an iconic feature of most rocket launches. Falcon Heavy is currently the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of ~2.5 and will hold on to that title until NASA’s SLS rocket debuts, likely no less than ~48 months away.
The grand finale
Finally, there are the photos and videos of Falcon Heavy’s side booster recovery. Aside from a select few photographers working for SpaceX or the Air Force, as well as Cape Canaveral AFS and Kennedy Space Center employees, the closest a member of the press can get to one of SpaceX’s Landing Zone Falcon recoveries is around four miles (6.4 km) away. Photos (and the aural experience) of Falcon landings from four miles away are still absolutely spectacular, but they can’t compete with the privileged access described above.
One such video taken by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) engineer offers an extraordinary up-close view of both Falcon Heavy Block 5 side boosters – B1052 and B1053 – safely returning to Earth after their first operational launches. Likely standing near the top of ULA’s LC-37 Delta IV launch pad integration facilities, Mr. Krishnan’s video does an excellent job
Located less than 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away from SpaceX’s Landing Zones, this is a perspective that very few humans will ever experience, owing to the fact Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an operational military base and that being so close undeniably adds some level of risk for observers. In the author’s humble opinion, the view seems… worth it. LC-37 also happens to be just 5 miles (8 km) away from the LC-39A pad from which Falcon Heavy had just launched, thus offering an almost equally visceral view of liftoff, ascent, and landing.
Cameras placed near the Landing Zones by both SpaceX and USAF photographers captured even more spectacular views and marked the conclusion of the launch and landing debuts of Falcon Heavy boosters B1052 and B1053. These same boosters are tentatively scheduled to support Falcon Heavy’s third launch as soon as June 2019, potentially breaking SpaceX’s internal record for time to complete a given booster’s refurbishment (72 days for Falcon 9, 74 days for Block 5). However, once Falcon Heavy Flight 3 is completed sometime later this year, it’s possible that SpaceX will replace their nosecones with 
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Elon Musk
SpaceX is keeping the Space Station alive again this weekend
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launches Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-24 to the ISS with 11,000 pounds of cargo Saturday.
SpaceX is targeting April 11 for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, carrying over 11,000 pounds of supplies, science hardware, and equipment for the Expedition 73 crew aboard. Liftoff is set for 7:41 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a backup window available April 12 at 7:18 a.m. ET.
The mission, officially designated NG-24 under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program, names its spacecraft the S.S. Steven R. Nagel in honor of the NASA astronaut who flew four Space Shuttle missions and logged over 723 hours in space before his death in 2014. Unlike SpaceX’s own Dragon capsule, which docks autonomously, Cygnus relies on NASA astronauts to capture it using a robotic arm before it is berthed to the space station’s module for unloading. When the mission wraps up around October, the Cygnus will depart loaded with station trash and burn up on reentry.
Countdown: America is going back to the Moon and SpaceX holds the key to what comes after
This is the second flight of the Cygnus XL configuration, which debuted on NG-23 in September 2025 and offers a roughly 20% increase in cargo capacity over the previous design. Northrop Grumman switched to Falcon 9 launches after its own Antares 230+ rocket was retired in 2023 following supply chain disruptions from the war in Ukraine.
The upcoming cargo includes a new module to advance quantum research, and an investigation studying blood stem cell production in microgravity with potential therapeutic applications on Earth.
The NG-24 mission is one piece of a much larger picture for SpaceX and the U.S. government. As Teslarati reported, SpaceX has become an indispensable launch provider for U.S. national security missions, picking up a $178.5 million Space Force contract in April 2026 to launch missile tracking satellites, while also holding roughly $4 billion in NASA contracts tied to the Artemis lunar program.
At a time when no other American rocket can match the Falcon 9’s combination of reliability, cost, and launch cadence, Saturday’s mission is a straightforward reminder of how much the U.S. government now depends on a single commercial provider to keep its astronauts supplied and its satellites flying.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Terafab project locks up massive new partner
Terafab, first revealed by Musk in March, is a massive joint-venture semiconductor complex planned for the North Campus of Giga Texas in Austin.
Elon Musk’s Terafab project just locked up a massive new partner, just weeks after the new project was announced by Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, the three companies that will be direct benefactors from it.
In a landmark announcement on April 7, Intel joined Elon Musk’s Terafab project as a key partner alongside Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI. The collaboration focuses on refactoring silicon fabrication technology to deliver ultra-high-performance chips at unprecedented scale.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan hosted Musk at Intel facilities the prior weekend, underscoring the partnership’s momentum with a public handshake.
Intel is proud to join the Terafab project with @SpaceX, @xAI, and @Tesla to help refactor silicon fab technology.
Our ability to design, fabricate, and package ultra-high-performance chips at scale will help accelerate Terafab’s aim to produce 1 TW/year of compute to power… pic.twitter.com/2vUmXn0YhH
— Intel (@intel) April 7, 2026
Terafab, first revealed by Musk in March, is a massive joint-venture semiconductor complex planned for the North Campus of Giga Texas in Austin. Valued at $20–25 billion, it aims to consolidate the entire chip-making pipeline, design, fabrication, memory production, and advanced packaging in a single location. It should eliminate a majority of Tesla’s dependence on third-party chip fab companies.
The facility will manufacture two primary chip types: energy-efficient edge-inference processors optimized for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems, Cybercab and Robotaxi, and Optimus humanoid robots, and high-power, radiation-hardened variants for SpaceX satellites and xAI’s orbital data centers.
Elon Musk launches TERAFAB: The $25B Tesla-SpaceXAI chip factory that will rewire the AI industry
The project’s audacious goal is to produce 1 terawatt (TW) of annual compute capacity, roughly 50 times current global AI chip output.
Production is expected to begin modestly and scale rapidly, addressing Musk’s warning that chip supply could soon become the biggest constraint on Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI growth. By vertically integrating manufacturing tailored to their exact needs, Terafab eliminates supply-chain bottlenecks and accelerates iteration for AI training, inference at the edge, and space-based computing.
Intel’s participation is strategically vital. The company will contribute expertise in advanced process technology, high-volume fabrication, and packaging to help Terafab achieve its aggressive targets. For Intel, the deal strengthens its foundry business and positions it as a critical U.S. player in the AI hardware race.
For Musk’s ecosystem, it secures domestic, purpose-built silicon at a time when global capacity meets only a fraction of projected demand for hundreds of millions of robots and orbital AI infrastructure.
This is the latest chapter in Intel-Tesla ties. In November 2025, Musk publicly stated at Tesla’s shareholder meeting that partnering with Intel on AI5 chips was “worth having discussions,” amid concerns about TSMC and Samsung capacity.
Exploratory talks followed, with Intel eyeing custom-AI opportunities. The Terafab integration transforms those conversations into concrete collaboration.
The Intel-Terafab alliance carries broader implications. It bolsters U.S. semiconductor sovereignty, drives innovation in cost- and power-efficient AI silicon, and supports Musk’s vision of exponential progress in autonomy, robotics, and space.
As AI compute demand surges, this partnership could reshape the industry, delivering the silicon backbone for a new era of intelligent machines on Earth and beyond.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk calls out $2 trillion SpaceX IPO valuation as ‘BS’
In a swift rebuke on X, Elon Musk dismissed reports claiming SpaceX had confidentially filed for an initial public offering targeting a valuation above $2 trillion, labeling the information as unreliable.
Elon Musk is quick to call out any false information regarding him or his companies on his social media platform, known as X.
A recent report that claimed SpaceX was aiming to go public with an IPO in the coming weeks at a massive valuation of $2 trillion was called out by Musk, who referred to it as “BS.”
In a swift rebuke on X, Elon Musk dismissed reports claiming SpaceX had confidentially filed for an initial public offering targeting a valuation above $2 trillion, labeling the information as unreliable.
The exchange highlights ongoing media speculation about the rocket company’s future and Musk’s frustration with what he views as inaccurate financial reporting. The report came from Bloomberg.
Don’t believe everything you read.
Bloomberg publishes bs.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 3, 2026
The controversy erupted on April 2, 2026, when influencer Mario Nawfal amplified claims from Bloomberg.
The outlet posted that SpaceX had boosted its IPO target valuation above $2 trillion, describing it as potentially one of the largest public offerings in history. Musk challenged the story.
It echoes past instances where Musk has corrected valuation rumors about his companies, emphasizing that speculation often outpaces reality.
Background context adds nuance.
Earlier reports indicated SpaceX had filed confidential IPO paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, potentially positioning it for a record-breaking debut that could eclipse Saudi Aramco’s 2019 listing.
Initial estimates pegged a possible valuation north of $1.75 trillion, building on a post-merger figure around $1.25 trillion after SpaceX absorbed xAI. A subsequent Bloomberg update claimed advisers were floating figures above $2 trillion to investors, with the offering potentially raising up to $75 billion.
SpaceX remains a private powerhouse. Its achievements include thousands of Starlink satellites providing global broadband, routine Falcon 9 rocket reusability, and a mission to slash launch costs, along with ambitions for Starship to enable Mars colonization.
The company also benefits from government contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense. A public listing could democratize access for retail investors while subjecting SpaceX to greater scrutiny and quarterly reporting pressures.
Critics of the reports point to the confidential nature of filings, which limits verifiable details. Musk has previously downplayed inflated valuations, once calling an $800 billion figure for SpaceX “too high.”
Supporters argue that hype around mega-IPOs, especially amid the ongoing AI fervor, fuels premature narratives that distract from core technical milestones, such as full Starship reusability and Starlink constellation expansion.
The incident reflects broader tensions in tech finance. Anonymous sourcing in valuation stories can drive market chatter and betting activity, yet it risks misinformation.
Bloomberg defended its reporting through multiple articles citing “people familiar with the matter,” but Musk’s blunt dismissal resonated widely on X, with users piling on to question media reliability.
Whether SpaceX ultimately goes public remains uncertain. Musk has teased an IPO tied to Starlink maturity, but priorities center on engineering breakthroughs over Wall Street timelines. For now, the $2 trillion figure joins a list of rumored milestones that Musk insists should be taken with skepticism.
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