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SpaceX lands NASA astronauts in the ocean for the first time in decades
SpaceX has successfully landed NASA astronauts in the ocean for the first time in almost half a century, completing the most important mission in the company’s history and setting it up for an imminent operational launch debut.
Roughly 19 hours after NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley boarded Crew Dragon and departed the International Space Station (ISS), the spacecraft ejected its trunk section and commanded a final reentry burn. 40 minutes later, Crew Dragon and its two astronaut occupants truly began to reenter Earth’s atmosphere traveling some 20-25 times the speed of sound, producing superheated plasma that prevents communication with the ground for around 10 minutes.
Right on schedule, SpaceX headquarters reacquired Crew Dragon’s signal, confirming that it had successfully made it through what CEO Elon Musk deemed the single riskiest moment of the mission prior to launch.
Finally, around 11:48 am EDT (15:48 UTC), Crew Dragon – having successfully deployed drogue and main parachutes for the second time after an orbital launch – gently splashed down in the ocean. In a global spaceflight first, Crew Dragon actually splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. For NASA, it’s the first time astronauts have actually splashed down since the final Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) capsule launch in July 1975, more than 45 years ago.
Despite at least a dozen extraordinarily irresponsible private boaters trespassing on the highly sensitive and dangerous post-splashdown recovery operations and an inexplicable lack of Coast Guard enforcement, SpaceX teams managed to bring Crew Dragon and its passengers aboard recovery vessel GO Searcher just half an hour or so after splashdown.
After purging Crew Dragon’s service section to get rid of slightly off-nominal concentrations of dinitrogen tetroxide (NTO) oxidizer, the spacecraft’s hatch was finally opened at 1 pm EDT (17:00 UTC), around 80 minutes after splashdown. Astronaut Bob Behnken exited the capsule first around 8 minutes later, followed by mission commander Doug Hurley shortly thereafter.
The successful return of Behnken and Hurley marks the completion of Crew Dragon’s inaugural Demo-2 astronaut launch and officially ends nine years NASA spent without the domestic ability to launch its own astronauts. Incredibly, NASA and SpaceX plan to waste no time to attempt an even more ambitious crewed launch – Crew Dragon’s operational astronaut launch debut.
Known as Crew-1 and scheduled to launch as early as late September, less than two months from now, Crew Dragon C206’s safe recovery means that SpaceX and NASA can begin an extensive review and (hopefully) qualify the spacecraft for operational launches. Aside from a new Crew Dragon capsule expected to arrive in Florida just a week or so from now, it’s believed that all rocket hardware is already on site for Crew-1.
A step further, the very capsule that just successfully returned NASA astronauts to Earth is scheduled to be reused as few as seven months from now on SpaceX’s second operational astronaut launch, Crew-2. According to SpaceX, the refurbishment process may have already begun and should be complete just a few months from now, offering at least as many months of buffer.
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SpaceX’s Starlink product has just gotten its latest airline adoptee, and the move marks the successful partnership of three of the “Big Four” U.S. airlines.
American Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would utilize Starlink in more than 500 narrowbody aircraft beginning in the first quarter of 2027. These include the Airbus aircraft in its fleet, including the new A321XLR and A321neo.
With the new partnership with American Airlines, Starlink is now present on three of the largest airlines in the country: American, United, and Southwest.
Starlink gets its latest airline adoptee for stable and reliable internet access
Starlink’s VP of Enterprise Sales, Jason Fritch, said:
“We are proud to bring Starlink on board American Airlines, delivering fast and reliable internet to passengers and crew. Whether traveling for leisure or business, Starlink enables a fully connected experience gate to gate, making every flight smoother and more enjoyable.”
Additionally, American Airlines Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, said:
“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want. The addition of Starlink solidifies American as a leading airline in keeping passengers connected in flight.”
Starlink has been on a tear over the past year, as it has continued to be adopted by a wide variety of airlines as a more consistent and reliable way to provide WiFi to its passengers. It has already gained a great reputation among residential users, but its biggest commercial application appears to be how it is being used in the air.
American Airlines will adopt Starlink on more than 500 of its narrowbody aircraft beginning in Q1 2027
“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want,” said American Airlines Chief… pic.twitter.com/XY2wflycc0
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 26, 2026
The only airline of the Big Four not to adopt Starlink thus far is Delta, which chose to opt for the alternative, which is Amazon Leo. CEO Ed Bastian said to Bloomberg that Delta chose Amazon’s product over Starlink’s because “the opportunities, in terms of the improved bandwidth with a much lower price point than what we’ve ever seen from Starlink, will make a big difference.”
Delta will not start installing Amazon Leo until 2028.
“Of course, we expect Starlink will be warning people that we’re going to go with an inferior product,” Bastian said. “But I’m not too worried about partnering with Amazon.”
Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim level is nearing its first deliveries just a few months after being offered for an incredible deal.
Back in February, Tesla officially launched a new trim of the Cybertruck, the All-Wheel-Drive, starting at just $59,990. It was a lot of truck for the money, especially considering what it offered the Rear-Wheel-Drive variant for last year, which was a total flop.
The $59,990 price that was offered initially was a deal due to its 325-mile range rating, powered tonneau, three bed outlets, Powershare capability, coil springs with adaptive damping for a refined suspension feel, Steer-by-Wire and four-wheel steering, a 6′ x 4′ composite bed, towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, and a powered frunk.
Tesla is now nearing deliveries of this trim, according to watcher Sawyer Merritt, as Tesla has officially started assigning VINs to people who ordered the vehicle initially:
I can confirm that Tesla has officially started assigning VINs to people who initially ordered the $59,990 Cybertruck Dual-Motor AWD, which means first deliveries should start in the coming weeks!
• 325 mile range
• 7,500 lb towing capacity
• 0-60mph: 4.1s
• Bed with… pic.twitter.com/PQwVYbZf6j— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 24, 2026
Earlier this month, we reported on units of the trim being spotted outside Gigafactory Texas by Joe Tegtmeyer.
Tesla Giga Texas buzzing as new Cybertruck appears to enter production
This Cybertruck trim was interesting because it was released basically out of nowhere, priced incredibly well, and gathered many orders in a small amount of time. However, CEO Elon Musk noted just days afterward that the vehicle would only be priced at this bargain level for ten days.
Tesla fans were not happy.
Awful way to treat customers – particularly when they already sent out a marketing email announcing the $59,990 truck…with zero mention of it being a limited-time offer.
— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) February 24, 2026
However, the issues with the pricing strategy have blown over since the February unveiling event, and now that deliveries are near, Tesla fans are anticipating the truck making its way to their driveways soon.
The truck is currently priced at $69,990, and deliveries for new orders are slated for between August and September 2026.
Tesla is shipping a new feature that silences neighborhood Supercharger complaints, prompting drivers to be aware of those who might be impacted by excessive noise nearby.
Tesla is now rolling out a new location-specific “Quiet Charging Zone” that prompts drivers to lower their vehicle’s audio volume in an effort to make things comfortable for everyone, even those who are not Tesla owners.
Another beautiful example of Tesla’s vertical integration.
Neighbors were complaining about noise and commotion at this new Supercharger in San Francisco.
So Tesla pushed a software update that asks people to turn their volume down, with a button to do it in 1 tap. Smart. pic.twitter.com/8esuliuzwr
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) May 20, 2026
This is an impactful feature that will resolve many complaints from those who are living nearby.
When a Tesla plugs into this Supercharger and its media volume exceeds a certain level, the vehicle’s central touchscreen displays a polite notification: “Could you turn the volume down? Please be mindful of our neighbors.”
Accompanying the message is a prominent “Lower” button. One tap automatically reduces the audio to a more considerate level. Physical “Quiet Charging Zone” signs posted at the station reinforce the request, creating a cohesive experience that blends digital nudges with on-site reminders.
This feature highlights Tesla’s unique advantages. Unlike traditional automakers, Tesla owns both the vehicle software and the charging infrastructure.
Engineers can detect the precise location via GPS, trigger context-aware prompts, and deploy changes fleet-wide in hours or days without recalls or dealer visits. No public release notes highlighted the change, suggesting it was a quiet, site-specific rollout designed to test effectiveness before potential expansion.
These are usually referred to as “Undocumented Changes.”
Beyond immediate noise reduction, the initiative underscores Tesla’s customer- and community-focused ethos. While EVs are inherently quieter than combustion-engine vehicles, auxiliary behaviors like loud infotainment can still create friction in dense cities. Tesla’s rapid response turns potential conflict into an opportunity to demonstrate thoughtful engineering.
As Tesla expands its Supercharger network, which is now open to other EVs in many places, features like location-based quiet modes could become standard tools for harmonious integration into neighborhoods.
SpaceX Starlink gets its latest airline adoptee, grabbing three of the ‘Big Four’
Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim is nearing its first deliveries
