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SpaceX expends “old-gen” Falcon 9 to ready for upcoming rapid reuse rocket

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Falcon 9 B1039 completed its fourteenth Cargo Dragon (CRS-14) launch with a dramatic, Falcon Heavy-esque hard impact into the Atlantic Ocean – as an expendable mission, its purpose, in this case, was to gather data on Falcon 9’s performance during extreme reentry conditions.

Aside from the inherent benefits of gathering critical data ahead of the April 24 debut of Falcon 9 Block 5, a rapid reuse version of the booster that SpaceX is not likely to be keen on expending, exploring the limits of Falcon 9’s ability to reenter Earth’s atmosphere could enable a greater proportion of missions to be recoverable in the future. In the past, Falcon 9 Block 3 was effectively limited to recovery attempts for geostationary payloads below 5400 kg, evidenced by three intentionally expendable (no recovery attempt) 2017 launch with satellites that weighed anywhere from 5500-6700kg.

 

Soon after, however, SpaceX introduced Block 4 of Falcon 9, most prominently featuring uprated Merlin 1D engines capable of around 10% more thrust than Block 3. Presumably related to this thrust upgrade, SpaceX recently announced that they would attempt an exceptionally hot booster recovery following the launch of the 6100 kg Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite, an intent that was confirmed by the presence of titanium grid fins. Sadly, bad sea conditions in the Atlantic scrubbed the launch attempt, and the booster (B1044) instead attempted a soft landing in the ocean. Still, the intent alone demonstrated that SpaceX believed it could potentially land a Falcon 9 first stage despite the considerable mass of the satellite, effectively a 15% capability upgrade that would allow SpaceX to recover boosters after all but a tiny proportion.

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Falcon 9 B1039 takes to the stormy skies. (Tom Cross)

It may feel unintuitive (perhaps even sad) seeing SpaceX expend booster after recoverable booster, but the company is almost certainly making a pragmatic decision to use the final flight-proven Block 3 and Block 4 first stages to flesh out the full range of their capabilities and explore the edge of the envelope ahead of the next generation. As SpaceX’s Jessica Jensen noted in both pre- and post-launch press conferences, these decisions to expend recoverable boosters are made on a case-by-case basis after considerable thought and cost-benefit analysis – in other words, the decisions to send these boosters to their watery graves are made with an eye on the future of Falcon 9 and Heavy.

Tom Cross’ incredible photos from this launch truly manage to capture the wildly dramatic mood of rocketry – even expendable vehicles never cease to amaze. In the background, a thunderstorm loomed large over the mission, but thankfully allowed a flight-proven Dragon and Falcon 9 booster to squeak by on their way to orbit.

 

Follow us for live updates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and a sea of beautiful photos from our East and West coast photographers.

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Pauline Acalin  Twitter

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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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SpaceX Starlink gets its latest airline adoptee, grabbing three of the ‘Big Four’

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Credit: American Airlines

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

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim is nearing its first deliveries

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

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:

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Earlier this month, we reported on units of the trim being spotted outside Gigafactory Texas by Joe Tegtmeyer.

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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.

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.

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Tesla ships new feature that silences neighborhood Supercharger complaints

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tesla-diner-supercharger
Credit: Tesla

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.

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.”

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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.”

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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.

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