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SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster tips over on drone ship, returns to port in pieces
SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy Block 5 center core (i.e. booster) has completed a bittersweet return to shore aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You after apparently breaking in half during a wave-induced tumble.
Local maritime and spaceflight fans Julia Bergeron and Stephen Marr were first to document the condition of the SpaceX rocket as it passed through the mouth of Port Canaveral. Although the lighting conditions were far from optimal, photos indicate that the Block 5 center core suffered a near-surgical removal of everything above its kerosene (RP-1) propellant tank. In other words, the liquid oxygen (LOx) tank and interstage are nowhere to be found, while Falcon Heavy B1055’s octaweb, nine Merlin 1D engines, landing legs, and maimed RP-1 tank are all safely resting on OCISLY’s deck.
The port arrival of B1055’s severed aft section is not exactly the happiest ending to the story of Falcon Heavy Flight 2 but the booster’s demise will reportedly have no impact on SpaceX’s 2019 launch manifest. That includes Flight 3 of Falcon Heavy, scheduled to launch with both of Falcon Heavy’s flight-proven side boosters as early as late June. Thankfully, SpaceX has built a second brand new Falcon Heavy center core for the critical US Air Force mission, known as STP-2.
Likely to be booster B1057, that fresh center core should have no difficulty supporting Falcon Heavy’s third launch, although SpaceX will probably ensure that the drone ship’s robotic recovery robot is Falcon Heavy-compatible this time around.
According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the cause of this incident is easily traced back to a combination of bad luck and the simple fact that OCISLY’s Octagrabber had yet to be outfitted for Falcon Heavy center cores. It’s unclear what prevents Octagrabber from interfacing with the custom boosters, but it likely involves the bulky mechanisms they use to transfer the thrust of both side boosters and safely push them away during booster separation. Those mechanisms – a combination of matte black polygons and cylinders and clockwork-like blocks – are easily visible in the photo above.
Some minor subassemblies can probably be salvaged from the badly damaged aft section of B1055 but the booster’s nine Merlin 1D engines are likely the only major recoverable hardware. Even then, it appears that the nozzles of at least two of those Merlin 1Ds were damaged by B1055’s tumble.
The successful recovery of B1055’s engine section should still give SpaceX’s recovery and refurbishment engineers their first hands-on post-flight analysis of a center core’s complex connection and separation mechanisms. Having suffered through an exceptionally hot and fast reentry, the condition of those mechanisms and the booster’s octaweb heat shield will hopefully be able to offer valuable insight into their performance at the edge of Falcon’s survivable flight envelope.
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Tesla has launched a new Model Y configuration in the “Premium” trim, and it comes with three highly requested features that have launched in markets outside of the U.S. and in other trims.
Tesla announced on Monday night that it has officially launched the Model Y Premium in a seven-seat configuration, which also comes standard with a 16″ touchscreen and black headliner, both of which are featured in the Model Y Performance trim.
The seven-seat configuration is highly requested by consumers and helps fill out the more spacious SUV offering that the lineup has missed outside of the Model X, which prices out many consumers. This new upgrade only costs $2,500 extra for all three features, bringing the cash price to $48,990.
This also comes with the larger 16” touchscreen! pic.twitter.com/aiAxWUTKZa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The move to add the seven-seat configuration with the black headliner and additional screen size is a welcome addition, as many Tesla fans have asked the company to come out with an SUV with more seating capacity. Although it is not a full-size SUV, the additional seating will certainly attract some buyers with bigger families.
It appears the third row is slightly more spacious than the past iteration of the seven-seat Model Y, which was available in the previous design pre-Juniper:
Credit: Tesla
However, it definitely still appears to be pretty cramped in terms of legroom. It will definitely be a seating arrangement for smaller passengers, mostly reserved for children.
The other two upgrades are the black headliner, which was launched in other markets and in the Model Y Performance. Many owners have wanted this change, and Tesla listened, but is only offering it with the seven-seat configuration. It also has a larger 16″ touchscreen, also present in the Model Y Performance exclusively:
Credit: Tesla
It is a nice touch to add these highly requested features to the all-electric crossover, which was the best-selling vehicle in the world for the third consecutive year.
Tesla has expanded its branded ‘For Business’ Supercharger program that it launched last year, as yet another company is using the platform to attract EV owners to its business and utilize a unique advertising opportunity.
Francis Energy of Oklahoma is launching four Superchargers in Norman, where the University of Oklahoma is located. The Superchargers, which are fitted with branding for Francis Energy, will officially open tomorrow.
It will not be the final Supercharger location that Francis Energy plans to open, the company confirmed to EVWire.
Back in early September, Tesla launched the new “Supercharger for Business” program in an effort to give businesses the ability to offer EV charging at custom rates. It would give their businesses visibility and would also cater to employees or customers.
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla wrote on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The first site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, which is Northeast of Tampa, as a company called Suncoast launched the Superchargers for local EV owners.
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
The program also does a great job at expanding infrastructure for EV owners, which is something that needs to be done to encourage more people to purchase Teslas and other electric cars.
Francis Energy operates at least 14 EV charging locations in Oklahoma, spanning from Durant to Oklahoma City and nearly everywhere in between. Filings from the company, listed by Supercharge.info, show the company’s plans to convert some of them to Tesla Superchargers, potentially utilizing the new Supercharger for Business program to advertise.
Moving forward, more companies will likely utilize Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program as it presents major advantages in a variety of ways, especially with advertising and creating a place for EV drivers to gain range in their cars.
Tesla Cybercab is perhaps the most highly-anticipated project that the company plans to roll out this year, and as it is undergoing its testing phase in pre-production currently, there are some things to work through with it.
Over the weekend, an image of the Cybercab being loaded onto a tow truck started circulating on the internet, and people began to speculate as to what the issue could be.
Hmmmmmm… https://t.co/L5hWcOXQkb pic.twitter.com/OJBDyHNTMj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 11, 2026
The Cybercab can clearly be seen with a Police Officer and perhaps the tow truck driver by its side, being loaded onto, or even potentially unloaded from, the truck.
However, it seems unlikely it was being offloaded, as its operation would get it to this point for testing to begin with.
It appears, at first glance, that it needs assistance getting back to wherever it came from; likely Gigafactory Texas or potentially a Bay Area facility.
The Cybercab was also spotted in Buffalo, New York, last week, potentially undergoing cold-weather testing, but it doesn’t appear that’s where this incident took place.
It is important to remember that the Cybercab is currently undergoing some rigorous testing scenarios, which include range tests and routine public road operation. These things help Tesla assess any potential issue the vehicle could run into after it starts routine production and heads to customers, or for the Robotaxi platform operation.
This is not a one-off issue, either. Tesla had some instances with the Semi where it was seen broken down on the side of a highway three years ago. The all-electric Semi has gone on to be successful in its early pilot program, as companies like Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. have had very positive remarks.
The Cybercab’s future is bright, and it is important to note that no vehicle model has ever gone its full life without a breakdown. It happens, it’s a car.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that there has been no official word on what happened with this particular Cybercab unit, but it is crucial to remember that this is the pre-production testing phase, and these things are more constructive than anything.
Tesla Model Y gets fresh configuration with three highly requested features
Tesla expands its branded ‘For Business’ Superchargers
