Connect with us

News

SpaceX set to launch its first previously-flown Block 5 rocket tonight

Published

on

At the same time as SpaceX is readying its first Falcon 9 Block 5 booster reuse, the company’s second flight-proven Block 5 launch is already fast approaching and could be a strong contender to beat the company’s record of 72 days between launches of the same rocket.

A critical milestone for Falcon 9 Block 5

Formerly known as Telkom 4, SpaceX’s 1:18 AM EDT August 7th launch of the Merah Putih (Red and White in Indonesian) communications satellite will place the 5800 kg (12,800 lb) craft into a high-energy geostationary transfer orbit and will become the second heaviest GTO launch completed by SpaceX while still recovering the Falcon 9 booster. More importantly, however, Telkom 4 will also mark a critical milestone for Falcon 9 as the first reuse of a Block 5 booster.

https://twitter.com/_TomCross_/status/1025074341040533504

Designed to be many times more reusable and reliable than the already impressive Falcon 9 Full Thrust iterations preceding it, pathfinder booster B1046 could be capable of flying anywhere from 5, 10, or even 100 launches over the course of its flightworthy lifespan. It very well may require some considerable refinements to approach the true goal of orbital Falcon 9 launches with zero refurbishments between flights. CEO Elon Musk discussed those aspirations just before Block 5’s launch debut on May 11:

“We need to basically take the rocket from its landing pad, rotate it horizontal, stow the legs. Take it to the launch pad, attach an upper stage, attach a fairing with a payload. Then transport it out the launch pad, rotate it vertically, load propellant, and fly. And in principle, that is literally all that’s necessary.” – Elon Musk

Advertisement

This is understandably SpaceX’s goal, and it’s unlikely to happen just a few months after Block 5’s debut. Nevertheless, SpaceX appears to be already pushing the envelope of what they’ve previously accomplished with reusable Falcon 9s.

Breaking records four months after launch debut

While B1046 is tracking towards a booster turnaround of roughly 92 days, compared with the current Block 4 booster record of 72 days, it’s worth noting that more than a majority of that time was likely spent in a state of unique analysis for the inaugural Block 5 rocket, involving extensive disassembly. As stated by Musk, “we need to take [B1046] apart to confirm that it does not need to be taken apart.” He also expected that teardown analysis to be “very rigorous”, indicating that B1046 probably deserves the crown for booster turnaround so long as one only accounts for time spent in transport and undergoing refurbishment.

Still, winning by a technicality is never any fun. On that note, SpaceX appears to be tracking towards a true record-breaking rocket reuse, potentially as few as 40 days between launches. Not one to let its other launch facilities be left out, this record-breaking turnaround attempt will occur on the West Coast with Falcon 9 B1048, the recovery of which has been extensively documented by Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin over the last two weeks. NASASpaceflight.com confirmed that SpaceX intends to reuse B1048 for this mission for the NET mid-September launch and the record ~50 days between flights could help explain an unusually extensive and lengthy analysis of the rocket after it was lifted off drone ship Just Read The Instructions and placed on its dockside recovery stand.

 

After 10 days of recovery operations and analysis, B1048 was transported to SpaceX’s Hawthorne factory on August 6th, where it will presumably undergo refurbishment in preparation for its next launch. If B1046 and B1048 are representative samples of SpaceX’s growing rocket fleet, their stunningly quick turnarounds (especially for a largely new rocket that debuted less than 3-4 months prior) are likely a sign of things to come as SpaceX gets a handle on the real-world capabilities of its robust Block 5 upgrade.

Advertisement

It’s entirely possible that every Block 5 reuse to come can and will break the previous launch turnaround record, at least up to the point that SpaceX demonstrates a true 24-hour turnaround sometime next year. Stay tuned…


For prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet (including fairing catcher Mr Steven) check out our brand new LaunchPad and LandingZone newsletters!

Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Tesla begins expanding Robotaxi access: here’s how you can ride

You can ride in a Tesla Robotaxi by heading to its website and filling out the interest form. The company is hand-picking some of those who have done this to gain access to the fleet.

Published

on

Credit: @HanChulYong/X

Tesla has begun expanding Robotaxi access beyond the initial small group it offered rides to in late June, as it launched the driverless platform in Austin, Texas.

The small group of people enjoying the Robotaxi ride-hailing service is now growing, as several Austin-area residents are receiving invitations to test out the platform for themselves.

The first rides took place on June 22, and despite a very small number of very manageable and expected hiccups, Tesla Robotaxi was widely successful with its launch.

Tesla Robotaxi riders tout ‘smooth’ experience in first reviews of driverless service launch

However, Tesla is expanding the availability of the ride-hailing service to those living in Austin and its surrounding areas, hoping to gather more data and provide access to those who will utilize it on a daily basis.

Advertisement

Many of the people Tesla initially invited, including us, are not local to the Austin area.

There are a handful of people who are, but Tesla was evidently looking for more stable data collection, as many of those early invitees headed back to where they live.

The first handful of invitations in the second round of the Robotaxi platform’s Early Access Program are heading out to Austin locals:

Advertisement

Tesla likely saw an influx of data during the first week, as many traveled far and wide to say they were among the first to test the Robotaxi platform.

Now that the first week and a half of testing is over, Tesla is expanding invites to others. Many of those who have been chosen to gain access to the Robotaxi app and the ride-hailing service state that they simply filled out the interest form on the Robotaxi page of Tesla’s website.

That’s the easiest way you will also gain access, so be sure to fill out that form if you have any interest in riding in Robotaxi.

Tesla will continue to utilize data accumulated from these rides to enable more progress, and eventually, it will lead to even more people being able to hail rides from the driverless platform.

With more success, Tesla will start to phase out some of the Safety Monitors and Supervisors it is using to ensure things run smoothly. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla could start increasing the number of Robotaxis to monitors within the next couple of months.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla analyst issues stern warning to investors: forget Trump-Musk feud

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

A Tesla analyst today said that investors should not lose sight of what is truly important in the grand scheme of being a shareholder, and that any near-term drama between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump should not outshine the progress made by the company.

Gene Munster of Deepwater Management said that Tesla’s progress in autonomy is a much larger influence and a significantly bigger part of the company’s story than any disagreement between political policies.

Munster appeared on CNBC‘s “Closing Bell” yesterday to reiterate this point:

“One thing that is critical for Tesla investors to remember is that what’s going on with the business, with autonomy, the progress that they’re making, albeit early, is much bigger than any feud that is going to happen week-to-week between the President and Elon. So, I understand the reaction, but ultimately, I think that cooler heads will prevail. If they don’t, autonomy is still coming, one way or the other.”

This is a point that other analysts like Dan Ives of Wedbush and Cathie Wood of ARK Invest also made yesterday.

On two occasions over the past month, Musk and President Trump have gotten involved in a very public disagreement over the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which officially passed through the Senate yesterday and is making its way to the House of Representatives.

Tesla analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass

Advertisement

Musk is upset with the spending in the bill, while President Trump continues to reiterate that the Tesla CEO is only frustrated with the removal of an “EV mandate,” which does not exist federally, nor is it something Musk has expressed any frustration with.

In fact, Musk has pushed back against keeping federal subsidies for EVs, as long as gas and oil subsidies are also removed.

Nevertheless, Ives and Wood both said yesterday that they believe the political hardship between Musk and President Trump will pass because both realize the world is a better place with them on the same team.

Munster’s perspective is that, even though Musk’s feud with President Trump could apply near-term pressure to the stock, the company’s progress in autonomy is an indication that, in the long term, Tesla is set up to succeed.

Tesla launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin on June 22 and is expanding access to more members of the public. Austin residents are now reporting that they have been invited to join the program.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla surges following better-than-expected delivery report

Tesla saw some positive momentum during trading hours as it reported its deliveries for Q2.

Published

on

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) surged over four percent on Wednesday morning after the company reported better-than-expected deliveries. It was nearly right on consensus estimations, as Wall Street predicted the company would deliver 385,000 cars in Q2.

Tesla reported that it delivered 384,122 vehicles in Q2. Many, including those inside the Tesla community, were anticipating deliveries in the 340,000 to 360,000 range, while Wall Street seemed to get it just right.

Tesla delivers 384,000 vehicles in Q2 2025, deploys 9.6 GWh in energy storage

Despite Tesla meeting consensus estimations, there were real concerns about what the company would report for Q2.

There were reportedly brief pauses in production at Gigafactory Texas during the quarter and the ramp of the new Model Y configuration across the globe were expected to provide headwinds for the EV maker during the quarter.

Advertisement

At noon on the East Coast, Tesla shares were up about 4.5 percent.

It is expected that Tesla will likely equal the number of deliveries it completed in both of the past two years.

It has hovered at the 1.8 million mark since 2023, and it seems it is right on pace to match that once again. Early last year, Tesla said that annual growth would be “notably lower” than expected due to its development of a new vehicle platform, which will enable more affordable models to be offered to the public.

Advertisement

These cars are expected to be unveiled at some point this year, as Tesla said they were “on track” to be produced in the first half of the year. Tesla has yet to unveil these vehicle designs to the public.

Dan Ives of Wedbush said in a note to investors this morning that the company’s rebound in China in June reflects good things to come, especially given the Model Y and its ramp across the world.

He also said that Musk’s commitment to the company and return from politics played a major role in the company’s performance in Q2:

“If Musk continues to lead and remain in the driver’s seat, we believe Tesla is on a path to an accelerated growth path over the coming years with deliveries expected to ramp in the back-half of 2025 following the Model Y refresh cycle.”

Ives maintained his $500 price target and the ‘Outperform’ rating he held on the stock:

Advertisement

“Tesla’s future is in many ways the brightest it’s ever been in our view given autonomous, FSD, robotics, and many other technology innovations now on the horizon with 90% of the valuation being driven by autonomous and robotics over the coming years but Musk needs to focus on driving Tesla and not putting his political views first. We maintain our OUTPERFORM and $500 PT.”

Moving forward, investors will look to see some gradual growth over the next few quarters. At worst, Tesla should look to match 2023 and 2024 full-year delivery figures, which could be beaten if the automaker can offer those affordable models by the end of the year.

Continue Reading

Trending