

News
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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News
JB Straubel’s Redwood launches energy business focused on second-life EV batteries
Redwood stated that many EV battery packs retain more than 50% of their capacity after being retired from vehicles.

Redwood Materials, the battery recycling firm founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, has launched a new venture called Redwood Energy. The business aims to repurpose used electric vehicle batteries into large-scale, low-cost energy storage systems.
In a post on X, Redwood revealed that it has already deployed a 12 MW, 63 MWh microgrid powered entirely by second-life EV batteries. The system is currently powering a modular data center for Crusoe AI, and it already operates at a lower cost than conventional solutions.
Repurposed batteries for scalable storage
Redwood Energy is designed to bridge the gap between battery recovery and recycling by extracting value from discarded EV packs that still hold usable charge. In a blog post, Redwood stated that many EV battery packs retain more than 50% of their capacity after being retired from vehicles. That remaining energy is well suited for stationary storage applications even without recycling.
The process begins with Redwood’s collection and diagnostics system, which identifies battery packs that are still suitable for reuse. Those packs are then integrated into modular energy systems that can store energy from solar, wind, or the grid. Once the batteries reach true end-of-life, they are recycled through Redwood’s closed-loop system to recover critical minerals.
Meeting the demands of an AI-driven grid
Redwood estimates that more than 100,000 EVs will be retired this year in the United States, with millions more currently on the road. These vehicles represent hundreds of gigawatt-hours of storage potential. These resources are coming in at the right time, as electricity demand is rising rapidly amid the rise of artificial intelligence, which tends to be power-hungry.
Redwood Energy already has more than 1 GWh of second-life batteries in its deployment pipeline. That figure is expected to grow to 5 GWh in the coming year. Larger 100 MW projects are also in development.
Investor's Corner
Tesla gets $475 price target from Benchmark amid initial Robotaxi rollout
Tesla’s limited rollout of its Robotaxi service in Austin is already catching the eye of Wall Street.

Venture capital firm Benchmark recently reiterated its “Buy” rating and raised its price target on Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) from $350 to $475 per share, citing the company’s initial Robotaxi service deployment as a sign of future growth potential.
Benchmark analyst Mickey Legg praised the Robotaxi service pilot’s “controlled and safety-first approach,” adding that it could help Tesla earn the trust of regulators and the general public.
Confidence in camera-based autonomy
Legg reiterated Benchmark’s belief in Tesla’s vision-only approach to autonomous driving. “We are a believer in Tesla’s camera-focused approach that is not only cost effective but also scalable,” he noted.
The analyst contrasted Tesla’s simple setup with the more expensive hardware stacks used by competitors like Waymo, which use various sophisticated sensors that hike up costs, as noted in an Investing.com report. Compared to Tesla’s Model Y Robotaxis, Waymo’s self-driving cars are significantly more expensive.
He also pointed to upcoming Texas regulations set to take effect in September, suggesting they could help create a regulatory framework favorable to autonomous services in other cities.
“New regulations for autonomous vehicles are set to go into place on Sept. 1 in TX that we believe will further help win trust and pave the way for expansion to additional cities,” the analyst wrote.
Tesla as a robotics powerhouse
Beyond robotaxis, Legg sees Tesla evolving beyond its roots as an electric vehicle maker. He noted that Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, could be a long-term growth driver alongside new vehicle programs and other future initiatives.
“In our view, the company is undergoing an evolution from a trailblazing vehicle OEM to a high-tech automation and robotics company with unmatched domestic manufacturing scale,” he wrote.
Benchmark noted that Tesla stock had rebounded over 50% from its April lows, driven in part by easing tariff concerns and growing momentum around autonomy. With its initial Robotaxi rollout now underway, the firm has returned to its previous $475 per share target and reaffirmed TSLA as a Benchmark Top Pick for 2025.
News
Tesla is testing a new way to eliminate a rare but concerning Supercharger issue
Tesla is testing a new way to end a rare issue at Superchargers, and its internal pilot program has already started.

Tesla is now testing a new way to eliminate a rare but concerning issue that can arise at Superchargers, especially as the company’s vehicles become more popular.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network is the most robust in the world, but the company has opened it up to other manufacturers, which makes the network even more congested than it already is.
Superchargers are continually being built, and existing stations are undergoing expansion in congested areas. However, there is one rare issue that still arises from time to time, and that’s the case of drivers cutting in line to charge before another vehicle that arrived before they did.
Tesla is rolling out a new ‘Supercharger queue’ in an effort to end one issue
A few months ago, Tesla said it would start testing a “virtual queuing” system that would tell cars what their position is in line. This would eliminate any instances of confusion between drivers and would also keep cutters from butting in front of those who arrived before them.
Now, Tesla is officially testing the program, according to Max de Zegher, the company’s North American charging head:
Pressure testing virtual queuing with the awesome @TeslaCharging teams, including for corner cases & bad actors. Public pilots next. If we get this right, it will be a big improvement for those rare cases with a wait. https://t.co/mxpFarYgJi pic.twitter.com/IgVVH2wiOe
— Max (@MdeZegher) June 26, 2025
Public pilots will begin soon at select sites after Tesla completes its internal testing. Admittedly, this is an incredibly rare issue, but it is something that is worth confronting because it will eliminate confrontations at Superchargers.
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