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SpaceX rockets private astronaut crew into orbit for the first time in spaceflight history
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.
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.
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.
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Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
A Tesla owner has successfully completed a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States on Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised. The trip was accomplished with zero interventions.
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
FSD Coast-to-Coast
The coast-to-coast feat was accomplished by Tesla owner Davis Moss, who drives a stealth gray Model 3 with AI4 hardware. Based on data from the FSD database and a community tracker, the last 10,638.8 miles Moss drove in his Model 3 were completed using FSD 100% of the time. His vehicle is equipped with FSD v14.2.1.25, which was installed 12 days ago.
As per Moss in a celebratory post on X, his Model 3 was able to complete a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States in 2 days and 20 hours. His trip started at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles, CA, and it ended in Myrtle Beach, SC. Overall, his trip spanned 2,732.4 miles.
“This was accomplished with Tesla FSD V14.2 with absolutely 0 disengagements of any kind even for all parking including at Tesla Superchargers,” Moss stated in his post. He also added in later comments that there were zero close calls during the trip.
Tesla community celebrates
The FSD milestone trip was widely lauded by members of the Tesla community, especially since a coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions has been cited by Elon Musk as a target since October 2016, when Autopilot 2.0 was unveiled. At the time, Musk initially estimated that a coast-to-coast drive across the United States should be possible by the end of 2017. Considering Moss’ feat in his Model 3, it appears that Elon Musk’s estimate was not impossible at all. It was just late.
Musk himself celebrated the milestone on X, and so did Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy, who wrote “World’s first fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive, done with Tesla self-driving v14. Congrats and thank you @DavidMoss!” in a post on X. The official Tesla North America account also celebrated the feat, writing “First Tesla to drive itself from coast to coast w/ FSD Supervised. 0 interventions, all FSD” on X.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Elon Musk has announced that the Tesla Model Y has become the world’s best-selling car by volume for the third consecutive year, capping 2025 with another dominant performance.
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Three years in a row
Musk posted on X: “Tesla Model Y is now officially the world’s best-selling car for the third year in a row!” The CEO’s comment echoed an update that Tesla included in its 2025 recap, which highlighted, among other things, the Model Y’s incredible streak.
The Model Y has held the title since 2023, outperforming traditional leaders like the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla thanks to its bang-for-the-buck nature and its stellar combination of practicality, performance, and tech. The Model Y is also lauded as one of the safest vehicles on the road, making it an ideal choice for families in key markets such as China.
An impressive 2025
The Model Y’s sales feat in 2025 is especially impressive considering the introduction of the vehicle’s new variant. Tesla’s changeover to the new Model Y across its global factories resulted in sales being paused for some time in the first quarter. As per Tesla’s Q1 2025 vehicle delivery and production report, “the changeover of Model Y lines across all four of our factories led to the loss of several weeks of production in Q1.”
This suggests that the Model Y’s sales remained strong in 2025 to the point where it could still claim the title of the world’s best-selling vehicle by volume, even with its sales being throttled during the first quarter of the year. It would then be interesting to see just how far the Model Y can go in 2026, especially considering the rollout of new variants like the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L, the affordable Model Y Standard, and the top-tier Model Y Performance.
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Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development.
Tesla has released an epic year-in-review video for 2025, recapping some of its major achievements from refreshed models to autonomy breakthroughs and production ramps.
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development while looking ahead to an even bigger 2026.
Tesla’s 2025 highlights recap
Tesla has had a busy 2025, as highlighted in the recap video. The video opened with Elon Musk explaining the company’s pursuit of sustainable abundance. A number of milestones were then highlighted, such as the rollout of FSD v14, Optimus’ numerous demos, the opening of the Tesla Diner in Hollywood, LA, the completion of the world’s first autonomous car delivery, and the launch of the Robotaxi network in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla also highlighted several of its accomplishments over the year. As per the company, the Model Y was the year’s best-selling vehicle globally again, and Teslas became more affordable than ever thanks to the Model 3 and Model Y Standard. Other key models were also rolled out, such as the refreshed Model S and X, as well as the new Model Y, the new Model Y Performance, and the six-seat, extended wheelbase Model Y L.
The Megablock was also unveiled during the year, and the Supercharger Network grew by 18%. Over 1 million Powerwalls were also installed during the year, and the Cybertruck became the first EV truck to get both an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award and an NHTSA 5-Star safety rating.
Cybercab production confirmed
Interestingly enough, Tesla also confirmed in its 2025 recap video that the production of the Cybercab has started. This bodes well for the vehicle, as it could result in the vehicle really being mass-produced in the first half of 2026. Elon Musk confirmed during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting that Cybercab production should earnestly start around April 2026.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab will be Tesla’s highest-volume vehicle yet, with the company aiming for an annual production rate of about 2 million units. “If you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line,” Musk said earlier this year. “It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line. In fact, the line will move so fast that actually people can’t even get close to it.”
Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
