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SpaceX rocket test-fired for first Starlink launch since in-flight engine failure
Just a month after an automatic launch abort sequence and subsequent in-flight engine failure, the SpaceX Falcon 9 is ready to return to flight. SpaceX’s sixth Starlink V1.0 and seventh overall launch of 60 Starlink satellites – initially expected on April 16th later delayed to April 23rd – will mark the triumphant return of a flight-proven booster.
Early on Thursday, April 16th – a week ahead of the scheduled launch attempt – the flight-proven B1051 Falcon 9 booster fully stacked with the integrated payload of 60 flat-stacked Starlink satellites, rolled out to Launch Complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center. Just over twenty-four hours later on Friday, April 17th, the rocket and payload were raised into the vertical launching position. At noon on Friday, SpaceX teams conducted a wet dress rehearsal fully fueling the first stage booster with propellant – rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) – before successfully conducting a full-duration, pre-launch ignition of all nine Merlin 1D engines while holding the rocket in place – called a static fire.
Shortly after the test completion, SpaceX confirmed the targeted Thursday, April 23rd launch attempt scheduled for 3:16 pm EDT from LC-39A via the company’s Twitter account. Along with the launch date, SpaceX confirmed that the upcoming Starlink-6 mission (seventh overall) will be the fourth attempted launch and recovery of booster B1051. This booster previously supported launches from three different launchpads in Florida and California. Perhaps most notably, it supported the successful first uncrewed demonstration mission of the Crew Dragon capsule in March of 2019.
SpaceX also confirmed that the protective nosecone encapsulating the satellite payload, called the payload fairing, is also recovered and reused flight-proven hardware. To date, SpaceX has reused fairing halves twice. Both instances have been conducted on internal Starlink missions, one in November 2019 and the most recent on March 18th’s Starlink-5 mission. Both featured fairing halves that were recovered after landing softly in the water of the Atlantic ocean. Ultimately, only the fairing halves of the most recent March 18th Starlink-5 mission were successfully recovered. The recovery attempt during November’s mission was called off due to rough seas.
According to SpaceX, April 23rd’s upcoming Starlink-6 mission will feature fairing halves recovered from the AMOS-17 mission launched in August of 2019. As previously covered by Teslarati, the mission resulted in a fairing half caught in a large net mounted atop one of the company’s fairing recovery vessels, GO Ms. Tree. The other half was scooped up after a gentle water landing. Starlink-6 will be the first time that a fairing half caught in a net is re-used in conjunction with a half recovered from the water. If the fairing halves perform nominally, as expected, it will help SpaceX to push the envelope of flight-proven hardware reuse even further.
Closely mirroring the Starlink-5 mission, SpaceX will once again launch from LC-39A and utilize a slightly altered mission profile. This will allow the Falcon 9’s second stage to deliver the 60 flat-stack satellites to an elliptical, rather than circular, orbit intended to reduce stress during booster re-entry and landing. Although used with previous missions, this particular mission profile has yet to result in a successful booster recovery.
If successful, Starlink-6 will be the first time a booster lands on the autonomous spaceport drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” since this boosters last landing in January 2020 following the successful Starlink-4 mission. As of Sunday morning, April 19th, “Of Course I Still Love You” departed Port Canaveral to travel to the recovery zone some 629km downrange ahead of Thursday’s launch attempt. The crew recovery vessel, GO Quest, followed shortly thereafter. The two fairing recovery vessels GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief are expected to leave port early in the week as the ships are built for speed and will reach the destination much quicker.
Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.
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Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
News
Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the DPA, noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns amid challenging market conditions.
Tesla is looking positively toward 2026 with plans for further growth at its Grünheide factory in Germany, following steady quarterly increases throughout 2025.
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns despite challenging market conditions.
Giga Berlin’s steady progress
Thierig stated that Giga Berlin’s production actually rose in every quarter of 2025 as planned, stating: “This gives us a positive outlook for the new year, and we expect further growth.” The factory currently supplies over 30 markets, with Canada recently being added due to cost advantages.
Giga Berlin’s expansion is still underway, with the first partial approval for capacity growth being secured. Preparations for a second partial approval are underway, though the implementation of more production capacity would still depend on decisions from Tesla’s US leadership.
Over the year, updates to Giga Berlin’s infrastructure were also initiated. These include the relocation of the Fangschleuse train station and the construction of a new road. Tesla is also planning to start battery cell production in Germany starting 2027, targeting up to 8 GWh annually.
Resilience amid market challenges
Despite a 48% drop in German registrations, Tesla maintained Giga Berlin’s stability. Thierig highlighted this, stating that “We were able to secure jobs here and were never affected by production shutdowns or job cuts like other industrial sites in Germany.”
Thierig also spoke positively towards the German government’s plans to support households, especially those with low and middle incomes, in the purchase and leasing of electric vehicles this 2026. “In our opinion, it is important that the announcement is implemented very quickly so that consumers really know exactly what is coming and when,” the Giga Berlin manager noted.
Giga Berlin currently employs around 11,000 workers, and it produces about 5,000 Model Y vehicles per week, as noted in an Ecomento report. The facility produces the Model Y Premium variants, the Model Y Standard, and the Model Y Performance.
News
Tesla revamped Semi spotted, insane 1.2 MW charging video releases
These developments highlight Tesla’s ongoing refinements to the vehicle’s design and infrastructure.
Tesla is gearing up for high-volume Semi production in 2026, with the Class 8 all-electric truck’s revamped variant being spotted in the wild recently. Official footage from Tesla also showed the Semi achieving an impressive 1.2 MW charging rate on a charger.
These developments highlight Tesla’s ongoing refinements to the vehicle’s design and infrastructure.
Revamped Tesla Semi sighting
Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane, who has been chronicling the progress of the vehicle’s Nevada factory, recently captured exclusive drone footage of the refreshed Class 8 truck at a Megacharger stall near Giga Nevada. The white unit features a full-width front light bar similar to the Model Y and the Cybercab, shorter side windows, a cleared fairing area likely for an additional camera, and diamond plate traction strips on the steps.
Overall, the revamped Semi looks ready for production and release. The sighting marks one of the first real-life views of the Class 8 all-electric truck’s updated design, with most improvements, such as potential 4680 cells and enhanced internals, being hidden from view.
1.2 MW charging speed and a new connector
The official Tesla Semi account on X also shared an official video of Tesla engineers hitting 1.2 MW sustained charging on a Megacharger, demonstrating the vehicle’s capability for extremely rapid charging. Tesla Semi program lead Dan Priestley confirmed in a later post on X that the test occurred at a dedicated site, noting that chargers at the Semi factory in Nevada are also 1.2 MW capable.
The short video featured a revamped design for the Semi’s charging port, which seems more sleek and akin to the NACS port found in Tesla’s other vehicles. It also showed the Tesla engineers cheering as the vehicle achieved 1.2 MW during its charging session. Dan Priestley explained the Semi’s updated charging plug in a post on X.
“The connector on the prior Semi was an early version (v2.4) of MCS. Not ‘proprietary’ as anyone could have used it. We couldn’t wait for final design to have >1MW capability, so we ran with what had been developed thus far. New Semi has latest MCS that is set to be standard,” the executive wrote in a post on X.
Check out the Tesla Semi’s sighting at the Nevada factory in the video below.
Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
