News
SpaceX recovered fairing appears at future Mars rocket factory in LA
In an unexpected turn of events, the first fairing half recovered by SpaceX – just after the Feb. 22 launch of PAZ – appeared at the company’s just-leased facilities at LA’s Port of San Pedro, also known as Berth 240 or SpaceX’s preferred location for the first BFR (Mars rocket) factory.
If there was any doubt before that SpaceX was not serious about the Port proposal released in March, or that individuals with SpaceX shirts at 240 were a mere coincidence, the arrival of an entire fairing half and two fairly large cranes ought to confirm the reality of the company’s active presence at the facility. After heading down to the port at dawn to capture Mr Steven’s arrival post-launch (providing a fairing surprise of its own), Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin made a quick detour to Berth 240 to check up on any potential activity at the SpaceX-leased site.
SpaceX’s first recovered fairing spotted at the BFR factory (Pauline Acalin)
Lo and behold, she found a lone recovered fairing half sitting just off the side of the public Port access road, behind the plot’s fenced enclosure. A giant Z (a la PAZ) on the fairing’s face identified it beyond any doubt to be the half that soft-landed intact just over a month ago. For such a unique pathfinder as the first apparently intact fairing half to be recovered, its uncovered storage out in the open dockside air tells us a fair bit about the reality of its condition: while it’s still surprising that this half did not spend more time (perhaps no time at all) in SpaceX’s Hawthorne facilities, this almost guarantees that the fairing suffered some form of catastrophic and irreparable damage at some point during its recovery.
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- PAZ’ fairing half in all its sooty, damaged glory. (Pauline Acalin)
RIP fairing half
If this fairing were in a flightworthy state, it would undoubtedly be safely stowed inside SpaceX’s Hawthorne facilities for many weeks or even months of careful testing and analysis to properly characterize the condition of the first fairing to be recovered in one piece.
Another possibility: perhaps SpaceX has already managed that characterization and refinement through the many different fairing fragments recovered during past (unsuccessful) attempts. Ultimately, it should come as little surprise that the fairing wound up damaged – the range of conditions it was subjected to boggle the mind. Its damage may have come from post-recovery handling, perhaps something as simple as the surface tension of seawater or some water intrusion inflating its density and overloading the fairing’s structure while it was craned or dragged aboard Mr. Steven. Its loss would appear to confirm that Mr. Steven’s seemingly elaborate net system exists for very specific and technical reasons, instead of, say, a group of engineers realizing that they could convince their managers to let them build a giant claw-boat. Sometimes the crazy solution can be the right solution!
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- A closeup of the landed fairing. This particularly fairing is the first flight of Fairing 2.0, a recent upgrade. (Elon Musk)
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- The first fairing to ever return to land intact proudly sails into Port of San Pedro aboard Mr Steven. (Pauline Acalin)
Either way, SpaceX technicians have unequivocally begun to tear down the PAZ half’s many interior components, ranging from baffles and soundproofing panels to parafoil connectors and cold-gas maneuvering thrusters. It’s conceivable that some of those parts can be reused on future missions, partly thanks to the fact that this half remained intact after landing, keeping its interior mostly dry. Given the sheer size of the cranes brought on-site on Saturday (March 31), it seems implausible that they are there just for PAZ’ fairing – more likely, they have been rented or purchased by SpaceX and will be used for a variety of tasks related to the demolition and construction outlined in the Port’s Berth 240 lease and use-case approval.
This is almost certainly the first time that SpaceX’s Berth 240 has hosted real rocket hardware, and hopefully foreshadows a bright and busy future of reusable rocket recovery, refurbishment, and manufacturing (hopefully with BFR!).
NBD, just scrapping a fairing in an abandoned shipyard. (Pauline Acalin)
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Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD
“Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes,” Musk said in regards to FSD v14.2.1 allowing texting and driving.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a major update with texting and driving capabilities on Full Self-Driving v14.2.1, the company’s latest version of the FSD suite.
Tesla Full Self-Driving, even in its most mature and capable versions, is still a Level 2 autonomous driving suite, meaning it requires attention from the vehicle operator.
You cannot sleep, and you should not take attention away from driving; ultimately, you are still solely responsible for what happens with the car.
The vehicles utilize a cabin-facing camera to enable attention monitoring, and if you take your eyes off the road for too long, you will be admonished and advised to pay attention. After five strikes, FSD and Autopilot will be disabled.
However, Musk announced at the Annual Shareholder Meeting in early November that the company would look at the statistics, but it aimed to allow people to text and drive “within the next month or two.”
He said:
“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”
“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”
Does anyone think v14.3 will enable this? pic.twitter.com/N2yn0SK70M
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 23, 2025
Today, Musk confirmed that the current version of Full Self-Driving, which is FSD v14.2.1, does allow for texting and driving “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”
Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2025
There are some legitimate questions with this capability, especially as laws in all 50 U.S. states specifically prohibit texting and driving. It will be interesting to see the legality of it, because if a police officer sees you texting, they won’t know that you’re on Full Self-Driving, and you’ll likely be pulled over.
Some states prohibit drivers from even holding a phone when the car is in motion.
It is certainly a move toward unsupervised Full Self-Driving operation, but it is worth noting that Musk’s words state it will only allow the vehicle operator to do it depending on the context of surrounding traffic.
He did not outline any specific conditions that FSD would allow a driver to text and drive.
News
Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet
The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.
The Tesla Semi is moving closer to broader fleet adoption, with Keller Logistics Group wrapping up a key pre-production planning session with the electric vehicle maker’s team this week.
The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.
Keller’s pre-production Tesla Semi sessions
Keller Logistics Group, a family-owned carrier with over 300 tractors and 1,000 trailers operating in the Midwest and Southeast, completed the session to assess the Tesla Semi’s fit for its operations. The company’s routes typically span 500-600 miles per day, positioning it as an ideal tester for the Semi’s day cab configuration in standard logistics scenarios.
Details remain under mutual NDA, but the meeting reportedly focused on matching the truck to yard, shuttle and regional applications while scrutinizing economics like infrastructure, maintenance and incentives.
What Keller’s executives are saying
CEO Bryan Keller described the approach as methodical. “For us, staying ahead isn’t a headline, it’s a habit. From electrification and yard automation to digital visibility and warehouse technology, our teams are continually pressure-testing what’s next. The Tesla Semi discussion is one more way we evaluate new tools against our standards for safety, uptime, and customer ROI. We don’t chase trends, we pressure-test what works,” Keller said.
Benjamin Pierce, Chief Strategy Officer, echoed these sentiments. “Electrification and next-generation powertrains are part of a much broader transformation. Whether it’s proprietary yard systems like YardLink™, solar and renewable logistics solutions, or real-time vehicle intelligence, Keller’s approach stays the same, test it, prove it, and deploy it only when it strengthens service and total cost for our customers,” Pierce said.
News
Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months
Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe.
Tesla appears to be doubling down on its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) push, with the company extending its demo ride-along program by three months until the end of March 2026. The update seems to have been implemented due to overwhelming demand.
Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe.
Extended FSD demonstrations
Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager Ivan Komušanac shared on LinkedIn that the company is offering ride-along experiences in Germany, France and Italy while working toward FSD (Supervised) approval in Europe.
He noted that this provides a great feedback opportunity from the general public, encouraging participants to record and share their experiences. For those unable to book in December, Komušanac teased more slots as “Christmas presents.”
Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt highlighted the extension on X, stating that dates now run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, in multiple cities including Stuttgart-Weinstadt, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Germany. This suggests that the FSD ride-along program in Europe has officially been extended until the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Building momentum for European approval
Replies to Merritt’s posts buzzed with excitement, with users like @AuzyMale noting that Cologne and Düsseldorf are already fully booked. This sentiment was echoed by numerous other Tesla enthusiasts on social media. Calls for the program’s expansion to other European territories have also started gaining steam, with some X users suggesting Switzerland and Finland as the next locations for FSD ride-alongs.
Ultimately, the Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager’s post aligns with the company’s broader FSD efforts in Europe. As per recent reports, Tesla recently demonstrated FSD’s capabilities for Rome officials. Reporters from media outlets in France and Germany have also published positive reviews of FSD’s capabilities on real-world roads.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD
Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet
