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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 finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
Nevada granted Tesla’s robotaxi permit, but capped the fleet at just ten vehicles for now.
Tesla has received its robotaxi permit in Nevada, more than two months after regulators closed the public comment period on the company’s application. News of the approval surfaced Wednesday night when Tesla investor and longtime company watcher Sawyer Merritt posted a copy of the interim order, and the Nevada Transportation Authority’s own carrier registry now lists the permit, AVNC Permit 002 under Docket 26-05015, as active for Tesla Robotaxi, LLC.
Tesla asked Nevada in June for authority to run up to 5,000 vehicles in Clark County within a year, however the permit the NTA issued is initially capping Tesla at ten fully autonomous vehicles and confines them to a defined geofence along the Las Vegas Strip corridor. Any expansion of that operating area, or any increase to the fleet size, requires the NTA’s approval first.
Tesla has received its Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit in Nevada.
The Nevada Transportation Authority says that operations are limited to a maximum fleet of 10 fully autonomous vehicles and shall be conducted only within the Authority-approved Operational Design… https://t.co/Cxfd6GIfDk pic.twitter.com/iOO6wSZkHF
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 13, 2026
The order also sets rules that look more restrictive than what Tesla runs in Austin. Rides are barred on roads with posted speed limits above 45 miles per hour, pickups are off limits within a quarter mile of Harry Reid International Airport without separate authorization, and every vehicle has to carry visible “Robotaxi” markings while notifying riders before each trip that no one is driving. The order also requires “appropriate human supervision”, language that suggests Nevada isn’t ready to let Tesla offer the rides without a safety monitor that it has run in parts of Austin since January. As with standard protocol with robotaxi services, Tesla must report any accident, system failure, or vehicle that becomes stranded on a Nevada road within five business days.
Tesla is entering a market Nevada already knows well. Zoox, the Amazon owned robotaxi company, has run its own autonomous vehicle permit in the state since last year, building up to roughly 100 vehicles and 350,000 rides along the Strip. That history likely explains why the NTA started Tesla at ten cars rather than the fleet size the company asked for. The agency has a template for scaling a permit up once a company proves out its safety record.
Tesla’s Nevada application first surfaced in June, when the company filed for the permit alongside plans for a maintenance hub in southwest Las Vegas. The company has said it won’t meaningfully scale its robotaxi fleet anywhere until FSD v15 ships, expected in late 2026 or early 2027, which makes the ten vehicle cap less of a constraint today than it might look on paper. For now, Tesla has the legal right to start Nevada rides. Whether it starts before FSD v15 arrives is a separate question the permit doesn’t answer.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Tesla finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
