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SpaceX rockets private astronaut crew into orbit for the first time in spaceflight history

Falcon 9 streaks into orbit with the world's first all-private astronaut crew. (SpaceX & Richard Angle)

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For the first time in spaceflight history, a crew of all-private astronauts have rocketed into orbit – and on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Right on schedule, just before 8:03 pm EDT, an orbit-proven Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A on a twice-flown Falcon 9 booster and new upper stage. Making it look easy, the booster performed flawlessly on its third spaceflight, boosting Dragon towards orbit and nailing a landing aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI). About 2.5 minutes after launch, Falcon 9’s upper stage took over and burned for another six minutes to precisely inject the spacecraft and its unprecedented all-private crew of Inspiration4 astronauts into an approximately 200 km (125 mi) parking orbit.

With that single feat, SpaceX has boosted the number of private citizens that have reached Earth orbit by 50% – from 8 to 12. Unlike any of the eight other private orbital spaceflights in history, though, Crew Dragon will now use its built-in Draco maneuvering thrusters to boost its orbital apogee (peak) to around 575 km (357 mi) – the highest altitude reached by private citizens in the history of spaceflight and by astronauts in general since 2009.

Assuming Dragon successfully reaches its planned apogee, Inspiration4 will mark the seventh-highest stable Earth orbit ever reached by humans and the first private (orbital) launch to fly astronauts in a flight-proven spacecraft. Heralding the array of firsts it marked, Inspiration4’s launch window also coincidentally opened just half an hour after sunset at Cape Canaveral, Florida, providing a famously spectacular view to onlookers as Falcon 9 and Dragon ascended back into sunlight for the majority of the launch.

Against the night sky present for those on the ground, the rocket’s miles-long and miles-wide exhaust plume was lit up by the long-since-set sun, producing an affectionately named ‘jellyfish’ that was visible for hundreds of miles.

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Created by billionaire and mission commander Jared Isaacman, Inspiration4 could mark a turning point for genuine orbital space tourism, which has been limited to just eight private citizens in the history of spaceflight. While Dragon is far from affordable, with seats believed to cost tens of millions of dollars each, a combination of factors mean that it might be the first spacecraft in history to truly enable orbital space tourism at an unprecedented scale. Already, SpaceX has another four – and possibly five – Crew Dragon launches of four astronauts each scheduled to fly in just the next two years, more than doubling the number of private citizens that have reached orbit if all goes to plan.

Hinted at by its name, Inspiration4’s primary goal has been to inspire people around the world and to hopefully raise awareness that humanity is on the cusp of a future where spaceflight will be accessible to millions – not hundreds – of people. Inspiration4 member Haley Arceneaux is now the youngest American, first person with a prosthetic device, and first cancer survivor to reach orbit. Thanks to the mission, Dr. Sian Proctor has also become the first black woman in history to pilot a spacecraft to space or orbit.

Four private astronauts sail into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket. (SpaceX)

Further, on top of $100M to be donated by Isaacman himself, Inspiration4 has managed to raise almost $35M in donations for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital – one of the foremost cancer research and treatment hospitals in the US and the world.

Last but not least, the mission will also debut the largest spacecraft window ever flown in space or orbit – a modification to Crew Dragon called a cupola that SpaceX has now designed, built, qualified, and launched in less than a year.

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.

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Tesla Robotaxi just got a big benefit from the U.S. government

The NHTSA is looking to help streamline the application process for companies developing driverless vehicles.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi just got a big benefit from the U.S. Government, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking to ease some rules and streamline the application process that could hinder the development and licensing of autonomous vehicles.

Tesla is set to launch its Robotaxi platform in the coming days or weeks, but regulation on autonomous vehicles is incredibly slim, so automakers are left in a strange limbo as permissions to operate are usually up to local jurisdictions.

The NHTSA still has the ultimate say, but it is now adopting a new strategy that will see companies gain an exemption from federal safety standards and streamline the entire application process.

The agency is authorized to grant exemptions to permit manufacturers to produce vehicles over a two or three-year period that might not comply with certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Robotaxi, for example, will eventually not have a steering wheel or pedals, through the Cybercab that Tesla unveiled last October.

The exemption program the NHTSA announced today would be possible through Part 555 of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act:

“NHTSA may grant a Part 555 exemption if at least one of four bases listed in the statute is met and NHTSA determines that the exemption is consistent with the public interest and the Safety Act. The statute also authorizes NHTSA to subject an exemption to terms the agency deems appropriate and requires that NHTSA publish notice of the application and provide an opportunity to comment.”

The rapid and non-stop innovation that is being performed is tough to keep up with from a legal standpoint. The NHTSA recognizes this and says current legislation is appropriate for traditional vehicles, but not for the self-driving cars companies are producing now:

“The current Part 555 process was designed for traditional vehicles. As currently applied, this process is not well suited for processing exemptions involving ADS-equipped vehicles in a timely manner or overseeing the unique complexities involving their operations. This has resulted in long processing times for applications for ADS-equipped vehicles. NHTSA must improve its Part 555 processing times substantially to keep pace with the rapid innovation of the ADS industry and to ensure that exemptions remain effective tools for nurturing groundbreaking safety technologies.”

Now, the NHTSA will be “enhancing application instructions” to help manufacturers understand the requirements involved in the application process. This will streamline the entire process by “reducing the need for NHTSA to request additional information from the manufacturer,” the agency says.

First Tesla driverless robotaxi spotted in the wild in Austin, TX

Next, the NHTSA is going to have a more flexible approach to evaluating exemptions for ADS-equipped vehicles:

“To build flexibility into the Part 555 process while also accounting for the unique aspects of those exemptions, NHTSA intends to develop terms that could be included in Part 555 exemption grants, when appropriate, to condition operations of exempted ADS-equipped vehicles on enhanced and continuing oversight from NHTSA. NHTSA would expect to administer this enhanced oversight through letters, which could be updated over time, mirroring real-world ADS development. This will enable NHTSA to focus its initial review during the application stage and align the Part 555 oversight approach more closely to exemptions administered under NHTSA’s Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP), which have proven effective for ADS.”

This will benefit any company making autonomous vehicles, but it will especially benefit Tesla in the short-term as it is readying for the launch of Robotaxi.

Tesla is trading up 1.89 percent at the time of publication.

Part 555 Letter June 2025 by Joey Klender on Scribd

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SpaceX produces its 10 millionth Starlink kit

The first 5 million Starlink kits took nearly four years to build.

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Credit: Starlink/X

SpaceX has achieved a major milestone, producing its 10 millionth Starlink kit. The accomplishment was celebrated across the company’s Hawthorne, California, and Bastrop, Texas, facilities. 

The milestone was shared in social media by Sujay Soman, Senior Facilities Engineer, in a LinkedIn post, which has since been deleted. 

Starlink Production Ramp

Soman noted in his LinkedIn post that the first 5 million Starlink kits took nearly four years to build, but the next 5 million kits were completed in just 11 months. This underscores SpaceX’s intense efforts to ramp up the satellite internet system’s production, and it reflects the private space company’s manufacturing prowess.

The SpaceX Senior Facilities Engineer shared a couple of photos of the Machine Maintenance and Facilities team in Bastrop to commemorate the event.

“Today, Starlink Product teams across our Hawthorne and Bastrop sites produced the 10th Million Starlink Kit! It took almost 4 years to build our first 5 million kits, and we doubled that in about 11 months. Monumental accomplishment!” Soman wrote in his post.

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Credit: Sujay Soman/LinkedIn

World-Changing Technology 

The Starlink kits, featuring dish hardware and supporting equipment, enable users to connect to the company’s growing constellation of low Earth orbit satellites. With over 6,000 satellites launched to date, Starlink now provides fast and reliable internet connectivity to over 6 million customers worldwide. This was a significant increase from the 5 million customers that the company reported in February 2025.

SpaceX has not detailed its next production targets, but the production of Starlink’s 10 millionth kit milestone signals the company’s readiness to scale further. Being an Elon Musk-led company, SpaceX is arguably the best in the business when it comes to efficient and cost-effective manufacturing. It would then be unsurprising if SpaceX announces another Starlink production milestone soon.

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Tesla retires yoke steering wheel in base Model S and X

Tesla’s controversial steering yoke is now exclusive to the Model S and Model X Plaid.

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tesla-model-s-plaid-yoke
Credit: @dkrasniy/X

Tesla has closed a chapter in the saga of the Model S and Model X’s controversial steering yoke. Following the announcement of the new iterations of the flagship vehicles, Tesla promptly removed the steering option for the vehicles’ base variants.

This means that if drivers wish to experience the Model S or Model X with a yoke, they would have to go Plaid.

The new Model S and Model X

The refresh of the Model S and Model X were quite minor, with the two vehicles featuring a new front camera, a new color, and a handful of other small changes like new exterior styling for the Model S Plaid. Tesla also noted on its website that the two vehicles now have a much smoother and quieter ride.

The changes were quite polarizing, with some appreciating the subtle improvements made to the two flagship cars and others arguing that Tesla should have done more. Others, however, noted that the level of improvements implemented on the Model S and Model X would already be considered major refresh for a tech company like Apple.

No More Yoke Unless Plaid

When Tesla refreshed the Model S and Model X in 2021, the vehicles were released with a steering yoke as standard. The yoke was controversial, with critics stating that it was unsafe and fans stating that it made driving the Model S and Model X fun. Tesla later introduced a round steering wheel option for the Model S and Model X, which later became standard on the two flagship vehicles.

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This remains true today, with the most recent versions of the Model S and Model X still being released with a round steering wheel as standard. Those who wish to experience the Model S and Model X Plaid as envisioned by the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, however, might find it a good idea to spend the extra $1,000 for the vehicles’ yoke steering wheel.

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