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SpaceX set for Falcon Heavy triple booster landing, hottest center core reentry yet
SpaceX’s third Falcon Heavy launch is ready to wow crowds once more with a synchronized side booster landing at Cape Canaveral and a center core recovery attempt more than 1200 km (750 mi) off the coast of Florida.
Based on the fact that Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 center core (B1057) is set to smash SpaceX’s current record for drone ship downrange distance, chances are good that B1057 will separate from the upper stage and payload traveling faster and higher than any recoverable Falcon booster before it. In short, the fresh Block 5 booster will likely be subjected to the most extreme (hottest) atmospheric reentry a SpaceX booster has ever experienced before a serious recover attempt. Thankfully, the earliest the booster can be expected to fly again is H2 2020, giving SpaceX at least a full year for a cautious, careful refurbishment.
Weather and rocket pending, Falcon Heavy Flight 3 will lift off with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission as early as 8:30 pm PDT (11:30 pm EDT, 03:30 UTC) on June 24th. Around 2.5 minutes after liftoff, both side boosters will deploy from the center core/upper stage stack, flip around, and burn hard to entirely cancel out their eastbound momentum, picking up speed as they head back to the Florida coast.
After a leisurely 6-minute coast and reentry burn, the booster pair are set to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 roughly 8.5 minutes after launch. Pictured below (with the same boosters, no less), B1052 and B1053 will hopefully replicate the simultaneous landings that followed their picture-perfect April 11th launch debut. Despite being the first flight-proven SpaceX boosters to launch as part of a US military mission (STP-2), both boosters will also simultaneously tie SpaceX’s current record for Block 5 booster turnaround (74 days), although the company’s overall record (71 days) still stands.
Meanwhile, STP-2’s fresh Falcon Heavy Block 5 center core – B1057 – will still be soaring above Earth at hypersonic speeds and high altitudes after its side booster companions have successfully come to a rest. Incredibly, the booster’s absolutely critical reentry burn – used to quite literally cushion the blow and minimize reentry heating with the rocket’s engine exhaust – will start at T+8:53 after liftoff. A full 2.5 minutes later (T+11:21), center core B1057 will attempt to land aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, stationed ~1240 km (750 mi) off the coast of Florida.
For reference, Falcon Heavy Flight 2’s Block 5 center core landed aboard OCISLY around T+9:50 after launch, meaning that STP-2’s center core will be in the air – sans any sort of boostback or altitude-raising burn – for a solid 90 extra seconds – 15% longer. To get that extra flight time, B1057 will have to be traveling significantly faster and reach a much higher altitude than its predecessor. In short, B1057 will likely experience the most intense reentry conditions a Falcon booster has ever been subjected to. The current record-holder, B1055, separated from the upper stage and payload 100 km (62 mi) above the Atlantic while traveling nearly ~3 km/s (1.9 mi/s, Mach 8.8).
Want to remember the awesomeness of Falcon Heavy every single day? Consider a limited-edition set of high-quality prints, signed by both Teslarati photographers to commemorate the rocket’s inaugural Starman launch.
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Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) fleet passes 8.4 billion cumulative miles
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.
The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable.
As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
