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SpaceX’s first astronaut-proven rocket returns to dry land
Three days after becoming the first privately-developed rocket in history to launch humans into orbit, SpaceX’s first astronaut-proven Falcon 9 booster has safely returned to dry land.
Although the sheer importance of SpaceX’s flawless astronaut launch debut and space station arrival can’t be exaggerated, the fact remains that the vast majority of the company’s orbital missions are centered around the affordable launch of satellites and other uncrewed payloads. All of those launches need Falcon boosters, too, and Crew Dragon’s Demo-2 mission has come at a time when SpaceX’s fleet of flightworthy rockets is the smallest it’s been in at least 18 months.
Significantly thinned by two failed Falcon Heavy center core recoveries and the loss of four boosters in 2020 alone (two intentional, two less so), SpaceX’s booster fleet has dropped from as many as ten to as few as two in just 13 months. Thankfully, B1058’s successful May 30th landing and June 2nd return adds a third booster to SpaceX’s immediately-available rocket fleet. On the horizon, two additional unflown boosters are in the late stages of preparation for their separate launch debuts – no earlier than (NET) June 30th and August 30th, respectively. With a little luck, SpaceX’s fleet of flight-proven boosters will soon have grown nearly three-fold in about as many months.
At the moment, SpaceX’s own Starlink satellite internet constellation is by far the biggest source of demand for SpaceX rockets – particularly the flight-proven boosters that allow the company to perform those launches at an unprecedented cost. Over the last 12 or so months, thanks to the spectacular success of Falcon 9 Block 5 reusability, SpaceX has substantially cut booster production at its Hawthorne, California headquarters, thus far dedicating the last six boosters produced to strict, high-profile missions for NASA and the US military.
In other words, while SpaceX has technically had three unflown Falcon 9 boosters – B1058, B1060, and B1061 – more or less ready for flight for months, their first launches have to be reserved for a select few customers that still have reservations about the company’s flight-proven rockets. With its first reserved mission – Crew Dragon’s orbital astronaut launch debut – now out of the way, gently-used Falcon 9 booster B1058 can thankfully enter the greater SpaceX fleet and begin preparing for its next launch.
Thanks to the fact that booster B1058’s first flight incurred a relatively gentle atmospheric reentry and landing, it could potentially be turned around for its next launch extremely quickly. With three Starlink launches scheduled in June alone and the first expected to launch as early as 9:25 pm EDT (01:25 UTC), June 3rd, SpaceX may actually have to refurbish B1058 far more quickly than any booster before it. SpaceX currently has two Falcon 9 boosters (B1049 and B1051) available for Starlink launches. B1049 is set to launch this week, while B1051 flew its fourth mission just six weeks ago. Based on SpaceX’s current record of 62 days between launches of the same booster, B1051 could be ready for its fifth mission by late June.
In other words, unless SpaceX brings flight-proven Falcon Heavy side booster B1052 or B1053 out of retirement later this month, the company is going to have to break its booster turnaround record by a huge margin with B1049 or B1058. SpaceX certainly has a funny way of resting on its laurels.
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Tesla has reopened reservations for its long-delayed next-generation Roadster, asking buyers for a $50,000 deposit just days before an October 1 reveal event in Waco, Texas. The move revives a reservation process first launched in 2017 and later paused when Tesla pulled pricing from its website in 2021.
The reservation page requires an immediate $5,000 credit-card payment, described as fully refundable, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer due within 10 days, which is identical to what was expected previously. Reservations are not considered final until the wire clears.
The structure matches the 2017 terms Tesla used when it first collected deposits after unveiling a prototype. Tesla has not published a confirmed retail price or production start date on the order page.
Go buy a Roadster pic.twitter.com/n7rhouAmIS
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 21, 2026
The October 1 event is scheduled in Waco, about 90 minutes north of Tesla’s Austin headquarters and near SpaceX’s McGregor rocket test site. Tesla sent invitations to existing reservation holders and posted a “Go for launch” teaser on September 12.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established a temporary flight restriction over the McGregor area from September 18 through October 2, consistent with plans for a demonstration involving SpaceX-designed cold-gas thrusters. Elon Musk has previously described the optional package as enabling extreme acceleration or brief hovering. Tesla has said the event will include pricing, specifications, and production targets.
The second-generation Roadster was first shown in November 2017 during Tesla’s Semi launch. Musk promised production in 2020, with claimed performance of 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, more than 250 mph top speed, and roughly 620 miles of range.
Those targets have slipped repeatedly.
Tesla later pointed to 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025-2026 before indicating production would not begin until 2027 or 2028 at Gigafactory Texas. Design work has continued, with reports of a sharper, Cybertruck-influenced look replacing the original curvy prototype.
Original reservation holders who paid $50,000 in 2017, or $250,000 for the Founders Series, have waited nearly nine years without a production car. Some high-profile customers canceled. Tesla’s decision to reopen orders now, after previously shutting them down, tests whether new buyers will commit substantial funds before seeing a finalized production vehicle. The October 1 event is intended to answer remaining questions about what those buyers will actually receive and when.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is heading to Czechia after the Czech Ministry of Transport recognised the Dutch RDW’s provisional type approval, making the country the seventh EU member state to clear the system for public roads. Tesla Europe announced on 21 September 2026 that “FSD Supervised is now approved in Czechia” and that rollout “will begin soon.”
The decision marks a notable reversal. Earlier in 2026, Prague had declined to automatically recognise the Netherlands’ April approval, citing concerns over speed-limit compliance, traffic-sign recognition and driver-attention monitoring, and arguing that a coordinated EU approach was preferable. Officials said months of expert review, talks with Tesla and other member states, and real-world data from countries already using the system resolved those issues.
🚨 Tesla FSD heading to Czechia 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/mkzlM9QjrB
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 21, 2026
“Safety remains the top priority,” the ministry stated.
FSD Supervised remains a Level 2 driver-assistance system: the driver must stay engaged and is legally responsible. Eligible vehicles need AI4, the company’s most up-to-date hardware version. Tesla is expected to push the feature over the air in the coming days, following the pattern seen after earlier national approvals.
Europe’s rollout began when Dutch regulator RDW issued a provisional EU type approval on 10 April 2026 after extensive testing. Mutual recognition then produced a rapid cascade: Lithuania (20 May), Estonia (29 May), Denmark (9 June), Belgium (10 June) and Slovenia (7 September). Czechia now completes that list of seven.
The approvals cover only a modest share of the EU population, but they add political weight ahead of a 6 October vote by the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles. A qualified majority, at least 15 of 27 member states representing 65 percent of the EU population, could open the remaining markets, including large ones such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain that have so far preferred to wait for a bloc-wide decision.
For Czech Tesla owners, the immediate prize is access to the same supervised highway and city driving already available in the other six countries. For Tesla, each new market generates additional European driving data and strengthens the case that FSD Supervised can operate safely under the continent’s varied road rules. The Czech approval is therefore both a local milestone and another incremental step toward a wider European launch.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a Temporary Flight Restriction over SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, rocket development and test facility, a move widely viewed as preparation for Tesla’s October 1 Roadster reveal. The restriction took effect September 18 and runs through October 2.
NOTAM FDC 6/3825 covers a 1.5-nautical-mile radius around the site near Waco and extends from the surface to 10,000 feet above ground level. The FAA cited hazards under 14 CFR 91.137(a)(3) and barred aircraft and drones from the zone. Tesla’s invitation to reservation holders already placed the event in Waco, about 20 minutes from McGregor, making the timing and location more than coincidental.
A TFR has appeared around SpaceX’s McGregor Testing Site up to 10,000ft and runs through until the 2nd of October 👀 pic.twitter.com/rcZ4p4JkLm
— Niall Anderson (@INiallAnderson) September 18, 2026
What stands out is the altitude. Typical recent TFRs at McGregor for engine static fires and component tests have used far lower ceilings, often around 2,000 feet. Raising the limit to 10,000 feet is unusually high even compared with some Starbase restrictions and signals operations that go beyond a standard ground-level engine test.
That extra airspace has fueled speculation about the long-promised SpaceX Package for the Roadster. Elon Musk has described cold-gas thrusters that could deliver sub-one-second 0-60 times and, more dramatically, brief lift-off. Reports earlier this year indicated Tesla planned a remote-controlled demonstration at McGregor in which the car would leave the ground with no one inside; spectators kept hundreds of yards away because of the noise.
The 10,000-foot envelope would give operators a large safety buffer even if the vehicle only hovers a short distance.
Tesla has not confirmed a flight demo. The company has only used the phrase “Go for launch” and posted a teaser image of the car on what looks like a launch pad. The TFR itself mentions only hazards. Still, closing airspace this high and this close to the reveal date strongly suggests the event will include more than a static display.
Whether the Roadster actually hovers on October 1 remains to be seen. What is certain is that the FAA has cleared a large vertical slice of Texas sky for whatever Tesla and SpaceX intend to show. Reservation holders heading to Waco will be among the first to find out if the car can do more than drive.
Tesla Roadster is available for order once again following brief hold
Tesla Full Self-Driving expands to another European country
