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SpaceX just expanded the envelope of rocket recovery with 50th booster landing

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says Falcon 9's latest booster landing - pictured here - "expanded [the envelope]" for all future rocket recovery efforts. (SpaceX)

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CEO Elon Musk says SpaceX has successfully expanded the envelope of orbital-class rocket recovery with its 50th booster landing, meaning that all Falcon boosters will have a better chance of safely returning to Earth from now on.

On March 6th, after a four-day delay, a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, new second stage, and twice-flown Cargo Dragon spacecraft successfully lifted off on the company’s 20th NASA Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-20). Dragon capsule C112 and its expendable trunk section are heading up Earth’s orbital hill to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow morning, nominally delivering some two metric tons (~4500 lb) of cargo to the ISS and its crew of astronauts. Once the spacecraft returns to Earth, SpaceX’s Dragon 1 program will effectively be over, wrapping up almost a decade of launches with some 45 metric tons (100,000 lb) of cargo delivered to the ISS.

Back on the ground, SpaceX’s Falcon rocket family still has a long life ahead of it and is likely to support one or several hundred more launches between now and its retirement. Additionally, Elon Musk says that the specific Falcon 9 rocket that launched CRS-20 has now proven that SpaceX rocket boosters can successfully land back on Earth even when ground winds are exceptionally high, hopefully guaranteeing many more booster recoveries to come.

Cargo Dragon 1’s final Falcon 9 launch and landing, pictured in a single long-exposure photo. (Richard Angle)

Teslarati photographer Richard Angle was on site to capture the spectacular launch and landing. The exceptionally detailed long-exposure image above includes the entirety of Falcon 9 B1059’s launch and landing, from main engine cut-off (MECO) and boostback burn to the booster’s reentry and landing burns.

Falcon 9’s MECO (the gap) and boostback burn (backwards curly-cue). The lefthand arc is the rocket’s upper stage and Cargo Dragon payload continuing on its way to orbit. (Richard Angle)
A few minutes before landing, B1059 ignited its engines to form a sort of exhaust ‘shield’, minimizing the maximum heating from atmospheric reentry. (Richard Angle)
Finally, B1059 ignited its engines for the fourth and final time for a landing burn, coming to a rest at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) approximately eight minutes after liftoff. (Richard Angle)

According to Musk, this particular landing was unique because it proved Falcon boosters can be successfully recovered – with a bulls-eye landing, no less – even when winds are high around the landing zone (or drone ship). SpaceX intentionally took this risk in part to expand Falcon 9’s safe envelope of operations, which now includes both winds during liftoffs and winds during landings.

Taken remotely from SpaceX Launch Complex 40, the pad B1059 lifted off from, Richard Angle managed to capture a streak of the booster landing at LZ-1 some eight minutes after launch and 9 km (5.5 mi) to the south. (Richard Angle)

While Cargo Dragon 1 may be on its way to the ISS for the last time, SpaceX won a second ‘Phase 2’ CRS contract from NASA that will see the company begin cargo launches to the space station with its Dragon 2 spacecraft – a lightly modified Crew Dragon – as early as Q4 2020, give or take a month. Prior to that mission, known as CRS-21, Crew Dragon is expected to launch at least once and possibly twice, first carrying two NASA astronauts to the ISS on its Demo-2 test flight and SpaceX’s inaugural crewed launch. There’s also a limited chance that SpaceX will flawlessly complete Demo-2 and be able to prepare a second Crew Dragon for its first operational astronaut launch (deemed ‘Crew-1’) before the end of 2020.

(Richard Angle)
(Richard Angle)
Falcon 9 B1059 and Cargo Dragon C112 are pictured on March 6th just a handful of hours before liftoff. (Richard Angle)

For now, SpaceX’s next Dragon launch will also be the company’s first astronaut launch ever. Crew Dragon’s Demo-2 mission is scheduled to lift off no earlier than late-April or May 2020.

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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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Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city, and although the company has revealed plans to launch in six new metros this year, it has yet to establish a new location outside of Austin and the Bay Area of California, where it has operated since last Summer.

A lot full of Model Y vehicles was spotted in Henderson, a town just north of Las Vegas, but there seems to be more than just this hint indicating that the Sin City will be the next location to offer potentially driverless rides in a Tesla using its Full Self-Driving suite.

These Model Ys are not your typical vehicles, as they are fitted with hardware that is only on Robotaxis: a rear camera washer is the dead giveaway:

The photos and video of the lot were taken by TheZacher on X, who spotted the Model Y fleet in the Henderson parking lot.

The rear camera washer is the main piece of evidence here that indicates Tesla could be looking to expand Robotaxi to Las Vegas, a major ride-hailing hot spot, as it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States. Ride-sharing is a major industry in Vegas, especially for those who are staying off the Strip.

Tesla has also been extremely transparent that Vegas is on its radar for the Robotaxi fleet, as it revealed last year that it was one of five new U.S. cities that it planned to launch the ride-hailing service in this year.

Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.

The others were Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

It will also give Tesla a new benchmark against rival company Waymo, which has operated in Las Vegas for some time.

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Tesla Roadster gets new unveiling date once again

Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.

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A red Tesla Roadster driving around a turn
(Credit: Tesla)

The Tesla Roadster is perhaps the most anticipated vehicle in the company’s history, but those who have been waiting anxiously for it will have to push their timelines back once again.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the company is once again pushing back the unveiling event that was originally planned for April 1. It will now take place “probably in late April.”

Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.

There has been so much hype about the Roadster that people are right to be excited about the prospect of its existence.

Musk’s most recent rumblings about the vehicle came last Fall, when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he once again hinted the car would be able to hover for a short period.

He said:

Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”

Additionally, he said the vehicle would not be something that would prioritize safety. Musk said that “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.” It’s made for speed and excitement, not for grocery-getting.

Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster

As the April 1 unveiling event that was originally planned was nearing without any communication to fans, media, or anyone who would potentially be in attendance, it seemed to be pretty obvious that Tesla was not ready to pull the trigger on the event quite yet.

There could be some last-minute things to finalize, or it could be something else. One thing is for certain, though: we are not super surprised that things were moved back.

Tesla has definitely been putting some things in motion for the Roadster. A few months back, Tesla started to ramp up hiring for the Roadster, and earlier in March, it submitted a patent application for a new seat design.

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Tesla named by U.S. Gov. in $4.3B battery deal for American-made cells

What began as an open secret in the energy industry was confirmed by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday: Tesla is the buyer behind LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.

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What began as an open secret in the energy industry is becoming more real after the U.S. Department of the Interior named Tesla as the stakeholder in the LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.

Tesla and LG Energy Solution are expanding their partnership to build a LFP prismatic battery cell manufacturing facility in Lansing, Michigan, launching production in 2027. The announcement, made as part of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Summit results, ends months of speculation.

“American-made cells will power Tesla’s Megapack 3 energy storage systems produced in Houston, creating a robust domestic battery supply chain.”, notes a press release on the U.S. Department of the Interior website.

Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory

Tesla has long utilized China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), the world’s largest LFP battery maker, as one of its primary suppliers. That relationship made financial sense for years, considering that Chinese LFP cells were cheap, abundant, and reliable. But with escalated tariffs on Chinese imports and an increasingly growing Tesla Energy business that’s particularly reliant on LFP cells for products including its Megapack battery storage units designed for utilities and large-scale commercial projects.

The announcement of a deepened partnership between LG Energy Solution and Tesla has strategic logic for both parties. For Tesla, it secures a tariff-compliant, domestically produced battery supply for its fast-growing energy division. LGES, now producing LFP batteries in Michigan, becomes the only major supplier currently scaling U.S. production, outpacing rivals like Samsung SDI and SK On. LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site, with a production capacity of 50 GWh per year. LG Energy said the contract includes options to extend the supply period by up to seven years and boost volumes based on further consultations.

For the broader industry, the ripple effects are significant. This deal signals that domestic battery manufacturing can be financially viable and not just aspirational. Utilities, energy developers, and rival automakers will take note as American-made LFP supply becomes a competitive reality rather than a distant promise.

For consumers, the benefits will take time but are real. A more resilient, U.S.-based supply chain means fewer price shocks from trade disputes, more stable Megapack availability for the grid storage projects that reduce electricity costs, and long-term downward pressure on energy storage prices as domestic production scales.

Deliveries are set to begin in 2027 and run through mid-2030, and as grid storage demand accelerates, reliable, US-made battery supply is no longer a future ambition. It is becoming a core requirement of the country’s energy strategy.

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