Space
SpaceX, NASA ready for first crewed launch from US soil in almost a decade
On Wednesday, March 18th, NASA invited media to attend SpaceX’s highly anticipated upcoming Demo-2 mission confirming that SpaceX would be the first of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partners – and first private spaceflight company – to return crewed orbital spaceflight to American soil following an 8-year absence. In the media release, NASA states “this mission will be the return of human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States and the first launch of American astronauts aboard an American rocket and spacecraft since the final space shuttle mission on July 8, 2011.”
NASA and SpaceX are “currently targeting no earlier than mid-to-late May” for the debut DM-2 crewed mission and final end-to-end test of SpaceX’s human spaceflight system and the Crew Dragon capsule. A successful DM-2 should certify SpaceX to support regular operational crew missions.
The confirmation of a mid-to-late May launch date aligns with what SpaceX President and chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell stated while speaking to reporters at the Satellite 2020 Conference in Washington D.C. earlier this month. Although the May time-frame does not meet the Q1 launch date previously anticipated by SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk, it does serve a greater purpose for NASA.
Long-duration end-to-end test
As previously reported by Teslarati, DM-2 will send NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, to the International Space Station (ISS) for a suspected extended long-duration stay. Initially, the test demonstration flight was expected to only support a week or so stay at the ISS mirroring Crew Dragon’s previous DM-1 test flight in March of 2019. However, early in 2020, NASA and SpaceX discussed opening up the possibility of extending the duration of the test flight to reflect an operational length stay anywhere between 1.5 and 3 months. In support of a longer duration stay, Behnken and Hurley have spent the last few weeks continuously training for life and duty aboard the ISS at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
An extension in mission duration length would ensure that NASA is able to keep a presence of more than just one astronaut aboard the ISS when NASA astronaut crew members Jessica Meir and Drew Morgan depart the station in the late Spring of this year. According to Eric Berger of Ars Technica, a longer-duration mission not only ensures more NASA crew members on-station but could ensure that Behnken, a veteran spacewalker, could be there to support NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy with any extra-vehicular activity (EVA) should the need arise.
As a true end-to-end test to certify SpaceX’s human spaceflight capabilities, DM-2 will not only feature launch and autonomous docking operations with the ISS but splashdown landing and recovery procedures as well. DM-2 will serve as the ultimate test of Crew Dragon’s Mark 3 parachutes hopefully enabling Behnken and Hurley to return to Earth in gentle splashdown style in the Atlantic Ocean.
It had previously been debated which of the NASA CCP partners, SpaceX with the Crew Dragon or Boeing with its CST-100 Starliner crew capsule, would likely be the first to return astronauts to the ISS. However, Boeing’s debut Starliner orbital flight test to the ISS in December of 2019 resulted in some surprising errors and a subsequent extensive investigation and list of sixty-one suggested corrective actions. Now, it is apparent that SpaceX will be the first private company to return crewed spaceflight to American soil after an almost decade long hiatus. It will also be the first to support NASA astronaut orbital spaceflight with a privately built crew capsule and rocket in just two to three short months.
Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.
SpaceX employees, including its CEO Elon Musk, shaded American Airlines on social media this past weekend due to the company’s reported talks with Amazon’s Starlink rival, Leo.
Starlink has been adopted by several airlines, including United Airlines, Qatar Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet, Air France, airBaltic, and others. It has gained notoriety as an extremely solid, dependable, and reliable option for airline travel, as traditional options frequently cause users to lose connection to the internet.
Many airlines have made the switch, while others continue to mull the options available to them. American Airlines is one of them.
A report from Bloomberg indicates the airline is thinking of going with a Starlink rival owned by Amazon, called Leo. It was previously referred to as Project Kuiper.
American CEO Robert Isom said (via Bloomberg):
“While there’s Starlink, there are other low-Earth-orbit satellite opportunities that we can look at. We’re making sure that American is going to have what our customers need.”
Isom also said American has been in touch with Amazon about installing Leo on its aircraft, but he would not reveal the status of any discussions with the company.
The report caught the attention of Michael Nicolls, the Vice President of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX, who said:
“Only fly on airlines with good connectivity… and only one source of good connectivity at the moment…”
CEO Elon Musk replied to Nicolls by stating that American Airlines risks losing “a lot of customers if their connectivity solution fails.”
American Airlines will lose a lot of customers if their connectivity solution fails
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2025
There are over 8,000 Starlink satellites in orbit currently, offering internet coverage in over 150 countries and territories globally. SpaceX expands its array of satellites nearly every week with launches from California and Florida, aiming to offer internet access to everyone across the globe.
Currently, the company is focusing on expanding into new markets, such as Africa and Asia.
News
Tesla hints at Starlink integration with recent patent
“By employing polymer blends, some examples enable RF transmission from all the modules to satellites and other communication devices both inside and outside the vehicle.”
Tesla hinted at a potential Starlink internet terminal integration within its vehicles in a recent patent, which describes a vehicle roof assembly with integrated radio frequency (RF) transparency.
The patent, which is Pub. No U.S. 2025/0368267 describes a new vehicle roof that is made of RF-transparent polymer materials, allowing and “facilitating clear communication with external devices and satellites.”
Tesla believes that a new vehicle roof design, comprised of different materials than the standard metallic or glass elements used in cars today, would allow the company to integrate modern vehicular technologies, “particularly those requiring radio frequency transmission and reception.
Tesla has recently filed a US patent application on integrating RF transparent materials into the roof structure.
“facilitating clear communication with external devices and satellites”
Tesla fleet is getting @Starlink connectivity integration soon. LFG @Tesla @elonmusk… pic.twitter.com/bLa8YtPLd1
— Chansoo Byeon (@Chansoo) December 9, 2025
Instead of glass or metallic materials, Tesla says vehicles may benefit from high-strength polymer blends, such as Polycarbonate, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate.
These materials still provide ideal strength metrics for crashworthiness, stiffness for noise, vibration, and harshness control, and are compliant with head impact regulations.
They would also enable better performance with modern technologies, like internet terminals, which need an uninterrupted signal to satellites for maximum reception. Tesla writes in the patent:
“By employing polymer blends, some examples enable RF transmission from all the modules to satellites and other communication devices both inside and outside the vehicle.”
One of the challenges Tesla seems to be aware of with this type of roof design is the fact that it will still have to enable safety and keep that at the forefront of the design. As you can see in the illustration above, Tesla plans to use four layers to increase safety and rigidity, while also combating noise and vibration.
It notes in the patent that disclosed examples still meet the safety requirements outlined in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
Starlink integrated directly into Tesla vehicles would be a considerable advantage for owners. It would come with a handful of distinct advantages.
Initially, the inclusion of Starlink would completely eliminate cellular dead zones, something that is an issue, especially in rural areas. Starlink would provide connectivity in these remote regions and would ensure uninterrupted service during road trips and off-grid adventures.
It could also be a critical addition for Robotaxi, as it is crucial to have solid and reliable connectivity for remote monitoring and fleet management.
Starlink’s growing constellation, thanks to SpaceX’s routine and frequent launch schedule, will provide secure, stable, and reliable internet connectivity for Tesla vehicles.
Although many owners have already mounted Starlink Mini dishes under their glass roofs for a similar experience, it may be integrated directly into Teslas in the coming years, either as an upgrade or a standard feature.
Investor's Corner
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon. Musk replied, basically confirming it.
Elon Musk confirmed through a post on X that a SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) is on the way after hinting at it several times earlier this year.
It also comes one day after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was aiming for a valuation of $1.5 trillion, adding that it wanted to raise $30 billion.
Musk has been transparent for most of the year that he wanted to try to figure out a way to get Tesla shareholders to invest in SpaceX, giving them access to the stock.
He has also recognized the issues of having a public stock, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon.
Musk replied, basically confirming it:
As usual, Eric is accurate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Berger believes the IPO would help support the need for $30 billion or more in capital needed to fund AI integration projects, such as space-based data centers and lunar satellite factories. Musk confirmed recently that SpaceX “will be doing” data centers in orbit.
AI appears to be a “key part” of SpaceX getting to Musk, Berger also wrote. When writing about whether or not Optimus is a viable project and product for the company, he says that none of that matters. Musk thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.
It seems like Musk has certainly mulled something this big for a very long time, and the idea of taking SpaceX public is not just likely; it is necessary for the company to get to Mars.
The details of when SpaceX will finally hit that public status are not known. Many of the reports that came out over the past few days indicate it would happen in 2026, so sooner rather than later.
But there are a lot of things on Musk’s plate early next year, especially with Cybercab production, the potential launch of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and the Roadster unveiling, all planned for Q1.
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