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SpaceX GPS satellite launch, landing opens door for first US military Falcon 9 reuse
SpaceX has successfully launched its third GPS III navigation satellite and simultaneously confirmed that the now once-flown Falcon 9 booster responsible will soon support the US military’s first operational launch on a flight-proven commercial rocket.
Known as GPS III Space Vehicle 04 (SV04), the ~3700 kg (~8150 lb) navigation satellite will join three other upgraded spacecraft launched since December 2018 – two of which flew on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. Of the six GPS III launch contracts the US military has thus far awarded, SpaceX has secured all but one, netting a total of $474 million for an average per-launch cost just shy of $95 million – likely saving more than $50 million per launch relative to comparable ULA contracts.
In June 2020, US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (USAF SMC) took the next step towards even more affordable launches by allowing SpaceX to recover its Falcon 9 booster after future military missions. A mere three months after that milestone and Falcon 9 booster B1060’s successful post-GPS III SV03 landing, SMC took the most important step yet, announcing that it had reached an agreement with SpaceX to reuse Falcon 9 boosters on two upcoming GPS III launches.
SMC announced the contract modification in late September, revealing that the Falcon 9 booster (B1062) assigned to launch GPS III SV04 no earlier than September 30th, 2020 would be reused on future GPS III SV05 and SV06 missions, ultimately cutting almost $53 million of the cost to launch GPS III satellites SV03 through SV06.
Unfortunately for B1062, the SpaceX rocket’s GPS III SV04 launch debut was initially delayed by competitor ULA’s own unrelated launch delays, followed by a last-second abort on October 2nd after the rocket detected anomalous behavior in two of its nine Merlin 1D engines. SpaceX ultimately traced the issue back to faulty quality assurance and a blocked vent line, replaced both engines (and several more on different boosters), and completed a second static fire on October 31st.
On November 5th, things finally came together for the company and Falcon 9 B1062, a new upper stage and payload fairing, an GPS III SV04 lifted off from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) LC-40 launch pad. The previously unflown booster performed perfectly, ultimately completing a soft landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) after sending the satellite and upper stage on their way to orbit. A brisk eight or so minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9’s second stage shut off, coasted in orbit for 55 minutes, reignited for 45 seconds, and coasted another 25 minutes before finally releasing GPS III SV04 to complete the mission.
Mission complete and Falcon 9 B1062 intact and soon to be secured aboard drone ship OCISLY, SpaceX has now fully opened the door to reuse the same booster to launch GPS III SV05 and SV06. Over the course of its announcement, SMC did not that SpaceX’s GPS III SV05 mission had been delayed from January to July 2021 to allow extra time for the extremely conservative customer to “validate” SpaceX’s reuse process. If successful, SpaceX will then likely fly the same booster – B1062 – a third time to launch GPS III SV06 no earlier than (NET) Q3 2021.
Tesla recently received its largest order for the all-electric Semi from Einride, a Swedish transport service, for 500 units, a groundbreaking invoice to receive before the first deliveries begin.
Even more remarkable, Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli said in a recent interview that he expects his company to take delivery of all 500 — the entire order — before the end of 2027. He even expects to have 75 Tesla Semi units in the Einride fleet before the end of this year.
🚨 Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli on the Tesla Semi partnership:
“If we start with the Amazon announcement that we did earlier this year, that was on the back of having gone through a proving period together with them and proving out our technology. Then we took that next step in… pic.twitter.com/oazkXjwoig
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 28, 2026
Charli said the Tesla partnership was part of a broader push, along with its earlier partnership with Amazon. Einride is assisting Amazon with the use of its Saga AI platform, which helps eliminate questions about budgeting and forecasting for logistics companies.
The Semi, as well as Tesla’s production and subsequent delivery of the units to Einride, will help the company “to have a good supply of vehicles that we can deploy on the [Saga AI] platform,” Charli said. “Tesla is also a relationship we’ve had for a while, and as the Tesla Semi deliveries are firming up, we decided to do a larger commitment to that and deploy that on our platform.”
In its initial announcement, Einride said it anticipated taking delivery of the trucks over the next two years, but now it appears the company is expecting all 500 units within the next 16 months.
Built at a dedicated factory in Sparks, Nevada, the Tesla Semi has been perhaps the biggest and most intensive testing process the company has ever had for a single vehicle model. For the past several years, Tesla has been working with many companies, most notably Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, to gain knowledge on the performance on regional routes.
Tesla plans to launch the Semi officially on September 24, five months after production started ramping.
Additionally, drivers have said they are happy about the Semi’s performance and that its numerous safety and productivity features have made their jobs and routes much easier.
Tesla Cybercab is using a unique strategy for picking up the correct rider, which is a crucial part of ride-hailing to ensure people end up in the right place and are charged the correct price.
Cybercab will utilize an RGB strip in its front light bar that will illuminate in a variety of different colors to mark itself.
This identifying mark will also appear in the Robotaxi app, giving riders in the same location a notable distinction in an effort to avoid any confusion regarding who should get in each vehicle.
🚨 Tesla is using different light bar colors to help riders understand which vehicle is theirs
Pretty cool strategy pic.twitter.com/eGMpEMeRpc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 27, 2026
Other ride-hailing services use similar strategies: Lyft and Uber rides are recognizable through driver identity, vehicle type and color, as well as license plate. Waymo will display the rider’s initials on top of the vehicle, letting them know that the specific vehicle for them has arrived.
Tesla’s strategy is unique and interesting, but there are some flaws. Cybercab’s main purpose is aimed toward being an autonomous ride for all, including those who have disabilities like being blind or even color blind.
Tesla will likely have something in the pipeline for those who cannot see colors or have limited vision. There will definitely be multiple ways to identify which vehicle is the one that “you” specifically ordered.
Cybercab is set to start giving public rides next Thursday, September 3, in Austin, as it announced a dedicated event last week and invited many members of the Tesla community.
Additionally, members of the public will be invited as well. Tesla has been offering employee rides in Cybercab for nearly two months.
Tesla has said goodbye to one customization option for its vehicles: the wrap service it launched several years ago.
After launching an in-house wrap service in August 2020 for the first time in China. In the U.S., it launched in October 2023. Tesla continued to expand the program and adjust it with better pricing and fewer options for the Cybertruck.
By December 2023, it was giving owners of the Model 3, Model Y, and the Cybertruck the opportunity to give their vehicle a fresh look with a vinyl wrap.
Tesla revamps in-house vinyl wrap service with better pricing
It was only available in five locations: Costa Mesa, Oceanside, Santa Clara, West Covina, all in California, and Seattle, Washington.
However, Tesla made some big adjustments to its shop, and the wrap service is officially gone:
Tesla has made a LOT of changes to its online shop recently — price increases, price cuts, new options, and several products being removed entirely.
Some of the biggest increases are wheel covers. 👀
📈 PRICE INCREASES
• 2017-2023 | Model 3 Aero Wheel Cover — Style: Refresh…— Phoenix Self-Driving 🐦🔥 (@PhoenixFSD) August 25, 2026
Wraps are very popular across the Tesla lineup, especially since the company offers relatively few colors. Many choose to wrap their Teslas with interesting colors, patterns, or even finishes, turning their cars from glossy to satin or matte.
However, Tesla’s wrap service was so limited geographically that it never really had a chance to get off the ground or compete with local shops. Every area in the United States is now overflowing with detailing shops, mobile detailers, and other automotive specialists, many of whom perform wrap services.
Tesla’s service was confined to the Pacific time zone and only spanned across two states. It was never going to be something Tesla was a major competitor in, nor was it going to disrupt the wrapping industry. Now that the program has ended, it seems pretty ideal to believe it was always going to be a short-term thing.
Along with the wrap service, Tesla removed several other products, but nothing too crazy. The Model 3 Door Pocket and Cupholder Liners, the Model S 19″ Magnetite Wheel and Winter Tire Package, Model X/Y Ski/Snowboard Carrier for Hitch Rack, Tesla’s Electric Summer Party Tee, and the Electric Summer Tee were the other items the company totally eliminated from its online shop.
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