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SpaceX deploys rocket recovery fleet for next Starlink launch
So far this year, SpaceX has launched nine missions, including sending two astronauts to the International Space Station. But the California-based rocket builder is not slowing down. On the heels of two successful missions just days apart, SpaceX is preparing to launch its 10th rocket of the year.
Estimated for liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 on June 12, a Falcon 9 rocket will take to the skies, lofting yet another batch of Starlink satellites. This marks the sixth Starlink launch of 2020, and with another two launches on the books for June, this puts SpaceX on track for a record launch pace.
To prepare for the upcoming launch, SpaceX’s fleet of recovery ships have left the Port and are on their way to their designated recovery zones.
On Tuesday, Go Ms Chief and GO Ms Tree, SpaceX’s two mobile fairing catchers left Port Canaveral on their next attempt to catch some falling fairings. To date, Ms. Tree had had 3 successful catches out of 13 attempts, and Ms. Chief has yet to snag a fairing. Perhaps this mission, if the weather cooperates, we may see an epic double catch.
Following the last Starlink mission, neither ship was able to catch a fairing, but instead fished them out of the ocean. Once the vessel returned to port, eagle-eyed onlooks were able to snap some images of the returned fairings. One appeared to be damaged, while the other looked like some simple refurbishments would get it back to flying shape.
To date, SpaceX has flown recycled fairings on three missions, and aims to continue that practice. The fairing, also known as the nose cone, protects the rocket’s payloads and it flies through the atmosphere. The fairings are jettisoned at a specific point in flight, and have historically been discarded in the ocean.
However, these two pieces of hardware account for nearly one tenth the price of the entire rocket, which is why SpaceX wants to reuse them. Each piece fetches a price tag of $3 million, so by reusing them, SpaceX could save as much as $6 million permission.
To that end, the company has outfitted two boats, Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief, with giant nets. Acting as mobile catcher’s mitts, the boats sit in a designated recovery zone, waiting for the falling fairing half to glide into its outstretched net.
During the last Starlink mission, rough seas interfered with the boat’s attempt at a catch. However, SpaceX was able to recover at least one fairing piece in tact and will aim to try again on Friday’s mission.
SpaceX also recently released video footage of the fairing jettisoning during the last Starlink launch.
The twin fairing catchers are not the only boats headed out to seas. After returning the Demo-2 booster to Port, SpaceX’s drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, has once again departed Port Canaveral on a quest to catch a booster.
It’s counterpart, Just Read the Instructions, recently completed its first booster recovery in the Atlantic, as it previously serviced SpaceX’s West Coast launch operations. Now that the company has two drone ships operating in the same ocean, we could see an uptick in launches and landings.
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Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.
SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.
Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress
Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.
Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.
Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.
“This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.
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Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
6 million drive units
The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote.
The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.
Giga Nevada’s essential role
Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.
Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.
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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.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
