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SpaceX ship Mr. Steven renamed ahead of Falcon Heavy fairing catch attempt

A Falcon fairing sails under its lightweight parafoil. GO Ms. Tree (formerly Mr. Steven) is set for its first fairing catch attempt in more than half a year. (SpaceX)

Published

6 years ago

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In a pleasant, last-minute surprise, SpaceX fairing recovery vessel Mr. Steven has departed Port Canaveral for its first Falcon fairing catch attempt in more than half a year. The speedy ship has already traveled more than 1250 km (800 mi) in ~48 hours and should soon be in position to attempt recovery of Falcon Heavy Flight 3’s payload fairing halves.

In another surprise, Mr. Steven has been renamed to GO Ms. Tree, a strong indicator that Guice Offshore (GO) – a company SpaceX is heavily involved with – has acquired the vessel from financially troubled owner/operator Sea-Tran Marine. With this likely acquisition, nearly all of SpaceX’s non-drone ship vessels are now leased from – and partially operated by – GO. The name change is undeniably bittersweet for those that have been following Mr. Steven’s fairing recovery journey from the beginning. However, it’s also more than a little fitting given that the vessel switched coasts and suffered an accident that forced SpaceX to replace the entirety of its arm-boom-net assembly. Much of Mr. Steven – now GO Ms. Tree – has been replaced in the last few months and with any luck, the vessel is better equipped than ever before to snag its first Falcon fairing(s) out of the air. Falcon Heavy is scheduled to lift off no earlier than (NET) 11:30 pm ET (03:30 UTC), June 24th.

♫ [Mr. Steven] would [sail nine] hundred miles ♫

Not one to dip his/her toes in first, Mr. Steven/GO Ms. Tree’s first fairing recovery attempt since crossing the Panama Canal will be a record-breaker. In yet another last-second surprise, Falcon Heavy Flight 3 – assigned to the US Air Force’s Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) mission – had its center core recovery profile radically modified just days ago, moving the booster’s drone ship landing from ~40 km offshore to more than 1240 km (770 mi) off the coast of Florida.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzBuLKojHJP/

Given that the upper stage and its fairing-shrouded payload inherently separate after the center stage, after which the two fairing halves are ejected, those fairings will end up even further downrange than the center stage. In the case of Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 mission, the fairing halves could end up splashing down (or, hopefully, landing in a net) anywhere from 1400-1600 km (870-1000 mi) downrange from SpaceX’s Pad 39A Cape Canaveral launch facilities.

Prior to his Panama Canal exit, Mr. Steven barely missed 2-3 successful Falcon fairing catches during several controlled drop tests. (SpaceX)

Records on records

With a fairing recovery attempt more than ~1400 km downrange and an attempted Falcon Heavy center core landing nearly 1250 km off the Florida coast, Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 mission is chock-full of records. As discussed previously on Teslarati, aside from the surprise recovery records-to-be, STP-2 will be a milestone launch attempt for several additional reasons.

“To successfully complete STP-2, the upper stage will be subjected to ‘four separate upper-stage engine burns, three separate deployment orbits, a final propulsive passivation maneuver, and a total mission duration of over six hours.‘ It will likely be SpaceX’s most technically-challenging launch ever.”
— Teslarati.com, 06/19/2019

“The US Air Force has decided that STP-2 presents an excellent opportunity to begin the process of certifying flight-proven SpaceX rockets for military launches. The STP-2-related work is more of a preliminary effort for the USAF to actually figure out how to certify flight-proven commercial rockets, but it will still be the first time a dedicated US military mission has flown on a flight-proven launch vehicle. Down the road, the processes set in place thanks – in part – to STP-2 and Falcon Heavy may also apply to aspirational rockets like Blue Origin’s New Glenn and ULA’s “SMART” proposal for Vulcan reuse.” 
— Teslarati.com, 06/16/2019

In almost every conceivable way, STP-2 will absolutely be the most challenging launch SpaceX has ever attempted. Success would effectively confirm beyond any reasonable doubt that SpaceX is just as capable as – if not more capable than – its sole US competitor, Lockheed Martin and Boeing’s United Launch Alliance (ULA). On top of being able to compete for and perform all mission profiles required by the US military and NASA, SpaceX will also remain the only entity (private or public) in the world that is actively launching, landing, and refusing orbital-class rocket hardware.

Tune in to SpaceX’s hosted webcast around 11:15 pm ET (03:15 UTC), June 24th to watch Falcon Heavy’s third launch ever and (hopefully) catch a glimpse of multiple record-breaking recovery attempts and Falcon S2’s most challenging mission ever.

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Want to remember the awesomeness of Falcon Heavy every single day? Consider a limited-edition set of high-quality prints, signed by both Teslarati photographers to commemorate the rocket’s inaugural Starman launch.

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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 stores continue to face anti-Musk protests

Scenes from a protest outside of Tesla’s store in Loveland, Colorado.

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7 hours ago

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March 15, 2025

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Tesla stores have been the target of widespread protests and vandalism in recent weeks, after Elon Musk made a controversial gesture in January, and as he and the Trump administration’s newly created government efficiency division continues to gut federal agencies.

On Saturday, I went to the Tesla store in Loveland, Colorado, where demonstrators were already protesting upon my arrival at roughly 12:45 p.m. MT.  Walking up to the protest, I could see scattered groups of demonstrators lined up along about two blocks, spanning from the Tesla store to a nearby intersection and Sprouts location. One protestor said he had counted about 230 people at around 1:00 p.m. MT.

The protest felt generally peaceful, with cars driving by and honking, and demonstrators leaving a large space between the front of the Tesla store and the sidewalk, easily allowing workers and customers to go in and out.

You can see a few videos and photos from the site below, along with some of the responses I got from protestors and a prospective customer.

READ MORE ON TESLA PROTESTS AND VANDALISM:

I spoke to about a dozen protestors about what they were protesting against. Most said they were there to condemn Musk’s recent federal worker and program cuts with the Trump administration, his performance of what some said resembled a Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration ceremony in January, or the administration’s recent attacks against transgender and queer individuals.

One protestor, Elsa, identified as a former Republican and said she was “highly concerned that our Constitution is being ignored,” especially with regards to the three branches of government and the system of checks and balances.

“It surprises me that, even if you voted for Trump, or you believe in capitalism, which, I didn’t vote for Trump, but I do believe in capitalism — I’m a former Republican, I was a Republican for most of my life — but it’s dangerous to have power rest in a handful of ultra-wealthy people,” Elsa said.

“And our whole country needs to realize that,” she adds. “This to me is not even Republican or Democrat at this point.”

Instead, she says it now comes down to whether people want to give billionaires huge tax breaks, or to use that money to support a range of groups in the U.S., including those who have social security benefits, are veterans, or are 9/11 survivors seeking cancer treatments, as a few examples.

Another protestor, Mary, said she was taking part in the demonstration “because she loves this country and democracy,” adding that she wanted to help preserve democracy for her grandchildren.

Still another protestor, Bryan, said that they were protesting because of the Trump administration and Musk’s attempts to erase transgender, non-binary, and queer people from history, drawing comparisons to the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany, where early human rights violations were lodged against gay and queer communities.

“I’m here because I have to be,” Bryan said. “I’m afraid of the future.”

Yet another person and his family were holding Ukraine flags, saying that they were protesting for a wide range of reasons, but especially for Trump’s recent meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Musk’s claims that the top Ukrainian executive was to blame for what he has called a “forever war.”

While most protestors appeared to be generally friendly, especially with each other, I did hear a few exchanges between demonstrators and those with other opinions. While I heard more cars honking throughout the experience, seemingly in support of the protests, I also noticed a few from which passengers yelled things like “Go Trump.”

“Direct action, we need to stop these fascists with direct action,” one protestor yelled in response.

Additionally, I also talked to a prospective customer, Kristy, who was there for a test drive and said she had a negative experience with the protestors.

“I was test driving a Tesla, and as we pulled in and parked right here, this black one, these people right here in the middle yelled at me, ‘Hope you’re turning in your f*cking Nazi car,’ and I said ‘F*ck you,’” Kristy explained.

“And they’re like ‘F*ck you too, you’re a Nazi, f*cking Nazi lovers.’ And so, they’re just yelling racial slurs at me, and I’m far from a Nazi.”

Tesla store advisers declined to comment on the protests, and so did Loveland police.

Other Saturday protest footage from Tesla stores in California, Texas, and New York

The Loveland Tesla store has also been the site of repeated attacks in recent weeks, with authorities on Friday making a second arrest following multiple incidents. You can see the Department’s press release for the arrest below.

The protest was also part of widespread demonstrations on Saturday, and it’s just the latest in actions targeting Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) company, some of which have included acts of vandalism, graffiti, arson, and even the use of weapons on Tesla storefronts.

Multiple other protests were also captured in footage on Saturday, including one in Santa Rosa, California, as shared by the San Francisco Chronicle, and another attended by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in Austin, Texas. Still another was captured in New York City, and you can see footage from each of these protests below.

Tesla vandalism cases under investigation by FBI Seattle

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Musk sets a date for Starship trip to Mars with Optimus on board

Optimus could be the first humanoid to make it to Mars, and Musk has set a date for when he thinks it’ll happen.

Published

13 hours ago

on

March 15, 2025

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk has shared when he expects to take Starship to Mars for its first uncrewed mission, and he also says Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will be on board for the flight.

On Friday, Musk wrote on X that SpaceX’s reusable Starship rocket will take Optimus to Mars at the end of 2026, with human landings expected to commence a few years later.

“Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus,” Musk said. “If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely.”

Last year, the SpaceX and Tesla head also expectations that SpaceX would be able to begin uncrewed launches in 2016, with early launches including both Optimus and a Cybertruck unit.

Musk also followed up the announcement with a post on X on Saturday morning, noting that he expects SpaceX to launch more than 90 percent of Earth’s payload mass to orbit this year. Meanwhile, he says China will make up just around 5 percent, while the rest of the world, including other parts of America, would also make up just 5 percent.

He also predicted that that number would go up even further to nearly 100 percent, once SpaceX’s reusable rocket is being launched more frequently.

“When Starship is launching at high rate, SpaceX will probably carry >99 percent of Earth’s payload mass to orbit. This is necessary to make Mars a self-sustaining civilization,” Musk added.

READ MORE ABOUT SPACEX’S STARSHIP: Texas awards SpaceX $17.3M grant to expand Bastrop tech hub

To be sure, Musk has been known to make ambitious claims about when his companies’ products would achieve certain milestones. For example, Musk predicted in 2018 that SpaceX could launch a rocket to Mars with humans aboard by 2024, though SpaceX only began testing the company’s reusable Starship in 2023.

Still, the company has been routinely testing Starship since then, and with increasing frequency, and in October, SpaceX performed the first catch of the Starship’s Super Heavy booster after liftoff to demonstrate the concept that a reusable rocket could be possible. In a launch earlier this month, SpaceX again successfully caught the Super Heavy Booster, though it lost the upper stage to a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” effectively meaning that it had exploded in air and showered surrounding areas with rocket parts.

The explosion was the second consecutive launch in which debris from Starship reigned down, highlighting the continued importance of testing as SpaceX aims to make the rocket a viable product for reusable space travel.

On Friday, SpaceX also launched its Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) to rescue astronauts that have been stuck on the orbital craft, after a Boeing launch was originally intended to bring them back to Earth. While SpaceX attempted to rescue the two astronauts in September, issues with the Starliner craft’s thrusters discovered upon arrival made NASA hold off on approving the return mission.

SpaceX completes a new first with recent Falcon 9 launch

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U.S. AG Pam Bondi: Tesla Molotov attack suspect facing up to 20 years in prison

The U.S. Attorney General confirmed that a Tesla attacker, who threw Molotov cocktails at a store, is now facing up to 20 years in prison.

Published

1 day ago

on

March 14, 2025

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

It appears that an anti-Tesla activist who is suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails at one of the electric vehicle maker’s stores is now looking at a potentially long prison sentence. 

This is, at least, as per United States Attorney General Pam Bondi, who recently shared her insights in a FOX News segment.

Tesla Attacks and Trump Warning

Tesla locations and vehicles have been subjected to numerous attacks as of late, from stores being shot up to vehicles being vandalized and set on fire in suspected arson incidents. In one case, a Tesla store in Salem, Oregon, was attacked with Molotov cocktails.

President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to people attacking Teslas, stating that he considers such actions as domestic terrorism. While addressing the issue, Trump warned that anyone caught deliberately harming Tesla will be going through “hell.”

Attorney General’s Update

During a recent FOX News segment, US Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated that anyone targeting others over political beliefs would be caught and punished accordingly. She highlighted that investigations are underway to find out who is behind the violent actions, and she also confirmed that a Tesla attacker, who threw Molotov cocktails at a store, is now facing up to 20 years in prison.

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“If you targeted someone, if you went after someone because of their political affiliation, we will be investigating you. We will be looking at you, because that’s the weaponization, and it has to stop. For instance, look what they’re continuing to do to Elon Musk. They are targeting Tesla dealerships, the stations where you charge a Tesla. They’re vandalizing cars. I have already directed an investigation be opened to see how this is being funded. Who is behind this? 

“We have people we’re locking up on that. We have someone in jail right now from one of the dealerships. They threw a Molotov cocktail through a dealership. They’re looking at up to 20 years in prison. So, if you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, or do anything, you better watch out, because we’re coming after you. And if you’re funding this, we’re coming after you. We’re going to find out who you are,” Bondi stated.

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