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SpaceX readies for upcoming May 15 expendable Falcon 9 mission

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Come May 15, 2017, it’s launch time again for SpaceX. Falcon 9 will carry the Inmarsat-5 F4 global communications satellite into Geostationary Transfer Orbit, the fourth satellite in its series. Technical tidbit: Inmarsat-5 F4 was built by Boeing and will provide Ka-band radio frequencies on the company’s Global Xpress network.

So far, everything looks like a “go”, and this happy customer recently announced their satellite’s arrival at SpaceX’s facility for launch prep (excitedly, I might add).

https://twitter.com/InmarsatGlobal/status/856901747733925889

After launching from historic pad 39A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket will separate, then come tumbling back through the atmosphere and burn up or break apart upon reentry.

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That’s right. There will (assumingly) be no first stage landing attempt after this launch. If that’s a bummer, it may be safe to say that we’ve become spoiled by now. And rightly so:

It’s always possible that SpaceX will opt to do some maneuvering in lieu of a landing to gather experimental data, but “nothing to see here” will likely be the result for the casual launch observer. Why no landing? It’s a weight(y) issue.

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Coming in at some 6000 kg, the Inmarsat-5 exceeds Falcon 9’s current landing-after-launch payload capacity maximum of approximately 5300 kg. In case you’re curious, the heaviest payload launched with a landing to-date was the SES-10, and that came in at around 5250 kg. (Thanks for the tidbits, Reddit.)

Fun Fact: This satellite was originally scheduled to fly on a Falcon Heavy.

The launch window for Inmarsat-5 F4 opens at 7:20 PM EST, and the static fire is set to happen on May 11th.

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This will be SpaceX’s second launch for the month of May, and if all goes according to plan, yet a third launch will successfully send a payload to the International Space Station on May 31st with CRS-11. Heads-up for more history: That mission will be the first reuse of the Dragon capsule, the Space Shuttle being the only other orbital-class vehicle to have done such, um, repurpose-ing.

Stay tuned!

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Tesla Model X shocks everyone by crushing every other used car in America

The Model X is one of Tesla’s flagship models, the other being the Model S. Earlier this year, Tesla confirmed it would discontinue production of both the Model S and Model X to make way for Optimus robot production at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.

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Credit: Tesla Asia | X

The Tesla Model X was the fastest-selling used vehicle in the United States in the first quarter of the year, crushing every other used car in America.

iSeeCars data for the first quarter shows that the Model X was the fastest-selling used car, lasting just 25.6 days on the market on average, two days better than that of the second-place Lexus RX 350h. The Cybertruck, Model Y, and Model S, in seventh, ninth, and thirteenth place, respectively, also made the list.

The Model X is one of Tesla’s flagship models, the other being the Model S. Earlier this year, Tesla confirmed it would discontinue production of both the Model S and Model X to make way for Optimus robot production at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.

Tesla brings closure to flagship ‘sentimental’ models, Musk confirms

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Bringing closure to these two vehicles signaled the end of the road for the cars that have effectively built Tesla’s reputation for luxury and high-end passenger vehicles.

Relying on the sales of its mass market Model Y and Model 3, as well as leaning on the success of future products like the Cybercab, is the angle Tesla has chosen to take.

Teslas are also performing extremely well as a whole on the resale market. iSeeCars data shows that, “while the average price of a 1- to 5-year-old non-Tesla EV fell 10.3% in Q1 2026 year-over-year, the average price of a used Tesla was essentially flat at 0.1% lower across the same period. Traditional gas car prices dropped 2.8% during this same period.”

Additionally, market share for gas cars has dropped nearly 3 percent since the same quarter last year. Tesla has remained level, while the non-Tesla EV market share has increased 30 percent, mostly due to more models available.

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Nevertheless, those non-Tesla EVs have seen their value drop by over 10 percent, while Tesla’s values have remained level.

Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said:

“Used electric vehicles without a Tesla badge have lost more than 10% of their value in the past year. This compares to stable values for Teslas and hybrids, and a modest 2.8% drop for traditional gasoline vehicles.”

Teslas, as well as non-luxury hybrids, are displaying the strongest resistance in the face of faltering demand, the publication says. But the more impressive performance is that of the Model X alone.

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Tesla’s decision to stop production of the Model X may have played some part in the vehicle’s pristine performance in Q1. With the car already placed at a premium price point, used models are already more appealing to consumers. Perhaps second-hand versions were more than enough for those who wanted a Model X, and only a Model X.

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Tesla Cybertruck’s head-scratching trim sold terribly, recall documents reveal

The head-scratching offering was only available for a few months, and evidently, it did not sell very well, which we all suspected. New recall documents on the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reveal just how poorly it sold.

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Credit: Tesla

After Tesla decided to build a Rear-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck trim back in 2025, which was void of many features and only featured a small discount.

The head-scratching offering was only available for a few months, and evidently, it did not sell very well, which we all suspected. New recall documents on the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reveal just how poorly it sold.

The recall deals with a potentially separating wheel stud and potentially impacts 173 Cybertruck units with the 18-inch steel wheels. The Cybertruck RWD was the only trim level to feature these, and the 173 potentially impacted units represent a portion of the population of pickups. Therefore, it’s not the entire number of RWD Cybertruck sold, but it could show how little interest it gathered.

The NHTSA document states:

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“On affected vehicles, higher severity road perturbations and cornering may strain the stud hole in the wheel rotor, causing cracks to form. If cracking propagates with continued use and strain, the wheel stud could eventually separate from the wheel hub.”

Only 5 percent are expected to be impacted, meaning less than 10 units will have the issue if the NHTSA and Tesla estimates are correct. Nevertheless, the true story here is how terribly the RWD Cybertruck sold.

Tesla ended production and stopped offering the RWD Cybertruck to customers last September. For just $10,000 less than the All-Wheel-Drive trim, Tesla offered the RWD Cybertruck with just one motor, textile seats instead of leather, only 7 speakers instead of 15, no Rear Touchscreen, no Powered Tonneau Cover for the truck bed, and no 120v/240v outlets.

Tesla brings closure to head-scratching Cybertruck trim

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For just $10,000 more, at $79,990, owners could have received all of those premium features, as well as a more capable All-Wheel-Drive powertrain that featured Adaptive Air Suspension. The discount simply was not worth the sacrifices.

Orders were few and far between, and sources told us that when it was offered, sales were extremely tempered because customers could not see the value in this trim level.

Even Tesla’s most loyal supporters thought the offering was kind of a joke, and the $10,000 extra was simply worth it.

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Cybertruck RWD Recall by Joey Klender

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Tesla Semi sends clear message to Diesel rivals with latest move

The truck is being built at a dedicated facility in Sparks, Nevada, just next to its Gigafactory Nevada facility.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially launched Semi production at what will be a mind-boggling rate of approximately 50,000 units per year.

The truck is being built at a dedicated facility in Sparks, Nevada, just next to its Gigafactory Nevada facility.

The company finally announced on April 29 that the first Tesla Semi truck has rolled off its new high-volume production line at the factory. This marks the transition from limited pilot builds to scaled manufacturing for the Class 8 all-electric heavy-duty truck, nearly nine years after its dramatic 2017 unveiling.

Tesla initially promised high-volume deliveries by 2019–2020, but battery supply constraints and prioritization for passenger vehicles delayed progress. The new 1.7-million-square-foot factory, purpose-built next to Gigafactory Nevada’s 4680 cell production lines, resolves those bottlenecks through deep vertical integration.

The Semi uses Tesla’s structural battery packs with cylindrical 4680 cells manufactured on-site. This integration enables efficient supply, reduced logistics costs, and the potential for high output. The factory is designed for an eventual annual capacity of approximately 50,000 trucks, positioning Tesla to address growing demand in long-haul freight electrification.

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Tesla is using a redesigned Cybertruck battery cell to mitigate Semi challenges

Operating economics favor the Semi through dramatically lower fuel and maintenance costs compared to traditional diesel rigs, and companies involved in a pilot program for the Semi with Tesla have shown that.

Electricity is far cheaper than diesel on a per-mile basis, while the electric powertrain features fewer moving parts, reducing service intervals and lifetime expenses. Early deployments with customers like PepsiCo and others have validated these advantages in real-world service.

The Nevada factory’s ramp-up is targeted for full volume output before the end of June 2026, aligning with broader Tesla production goals for 2026. This includes parallel efforts on other new vehicles while expanding the Megacharger infrastructure to support widespread adoption.

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By localizing battery and truck production, Tesla gains advantages in cost, quality control, and scalability that many competitors sourcing cells externally lack. The start of high-volume Semi production represents a pivotal step in Tesla’s strategy to electrify heavy transportation, potentially accelerating the shift toward zero-emission freight across North America and beyond.

As output increases, the Semi could reshape long-haul logistics with its combination of performance, efficiency, and sustainability.

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