News
SpaceX set to bring NASA astronauts back to Earth on August 2nd
The joint SpaceX-NASA historic mission which brought human spaceflight back to U.S. soil after nearly a decade is set to return from Earth orbit on August 1, 2020, per NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine’s announcement Friday afternoon. Capsule splashdown is scheduled for August 2nd.
The mission’s return will mark a long-duration stay in space of just over two months for American astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. After launching aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on May 30th, the crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) several hours later and docked their Dragon Endeavour capsule to the orbiting habitat.
The mission will represent a huge success for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) which provided funding and guided the developments involving the Dragon capsule. NASA is further expected to certify the craft to regularly carry humans to and from the ISS.
https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1284160302842511361
A test run for the Dragon splashdown took place earlier this year with SpaceX’s DM-1 mission (the crewed version being named DM-2), and the company’s hardware performed perfectly, even garnering praise from NASA CCP Deputy Manager Steve Stich. “[It] did better than expected,” he confirmed.
Benji Reed, SpaceX’s Director of Crew Mission Management, was equally pleased with the Dragon capsule’s performance during the DM-1 return. “I can’t believe how well the whole mission has gone,” he remarked following the mission’s completion. Unfortunately, the original DM-1 capsule was lost in an explosion during a static fire test; however, the source of the failure has since been corrected.
Viewers of the upcoming splashdown can expect a similar course of events as Dragon Endeavour returns: Re-entry of the capsule into Earth’s atmosphere, drogue parachute deploy, main parachute deploy, and splashdown. Notably, SpaceX’s specialized Mark 3 parachute system will be on display for the first time in a non-test scenario, designed to be the safest and most reliable parachute systems ever made. The astronaut return event will most likely be live streamed on NASA’s and SpaceX’s websites in usual mission-milestone fashion.
While SpaceX’s first crewed mission has yet to come to full completion, plans are already in the works for a second manned launch. Known as Crew-1, this flight will have three NASA astronauts and one Japanese astronaut travel again to the ISS via Crew Dragon capsule. Administrator Bridenstine has previously suggested the mission could be launched as early as August 30, 2020.
Behnken and Hurley’s work on DM-1 is meant to put SpaceX’s capsule through its ‘paces’ to ensure readiness for Crew-1 and future missions to get some serious science and ISS repair work done in orbit. Thus far, Dragon’s systems look to be performing nominally, aside from a few mild issues, with the astronauts even assisting with spacewalks in the meantime.
As long as weather cooperates, the astronauts will be back to “home” work in a couple of weeks.
Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that production of Optimus 3 could begin this summer. Musk shared the update in his interview at the Abundance Summit.
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
“We’re in the final stages of completion of Optimus 3, which is really going to be by far the most advanced robot in the world. Nothing’s even close. In fact, I haven’t even seen demos of robots that are as good as Optimus 3,” Musk said.
He also set expectations on the pace of Optimus 3’s production ramp, stating that the initial volumes of the humanoid robot will likely be very low. Musk did, however, also state that high production rates for Optimus 3 should be possible in 2027.
“I think we’ll start production on Optimus 3 this summer, but very slow at first, like sort of this classic S-curve ramp of manufacturing units versus time. And then, probably reach high volume production around summer next year,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the CEO hinted that Tesla is looking to iterate on the robot quickly, potentially releasing a new Optimus design every year.
“We’ll have Optimus 4 design complete next year. We’ll try to release a new robot design every year,” Musk stated.
Tesla has already outlined broader plans for scaling Optimus production beyond its first manufacturing line. Musk previously stated that Optimus 4 will be built at Gigafactory Texas at significantly higher production volumes.
Initial production lines for the robot are expected to be located at Tesla’s Fremont Factory, where the company plans to establish a line capable of producing up to 1 million robots per year.
A larger production ramp is expected to occur at Gigafactory Texas, where Musk has previously suggested could eventually support production of up to 10 million robots per year.
“We’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk said previously.
The comments suggest that while Optimus 3 will likely begin production at Fremont, Tesla’s larger-scale manufacturing push could arrive with Optimus 4 at Gigafactory Texas.
Elon Musk
Tesla showcases Optimus humanoid robot at AWE 2026 in Shanghai
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show.
Tesla showcased its Optimus humanoid robot at the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE 2026) in Shanghai. The event opened Thursday and featured several Tesla products, including the company’s humanoid robot and the Cybertruck.
The display was reported by CNEV Post, citing information from local media outlet Cailian and on-site staff at the exhibition.
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show. On-site staff reportedly stated that mass production of the robot could begin by the end of 2026.
Tesla previously indicated that it plans to manufacture its humanoid robots at scale once production begins, with its initial production line in the Fremont Factory reaching up to 1 million units annually. An Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas is expected to produce 10 million units per year.
Tesla China previously shared a teaser image on Weibo showing a pair of highly detailed robotic hands believed to belong to Optimus. The image suggests a design with finger proportions and structures that closely resemble those of a human hand.
Robotic hands are widely considered one of the most difficult engineering challenges in humanoid robotics. For a system like Optimus to perform complex real-world tasks, from factory work to household activities, the robot would require highly advanced dexterity.
Elon Musk has previously stated that Optimus has the capability to eventually become the first real-world example of a Von Neumann machine, a self-replicating system capable of building copies of itself, even on other planets. “Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
