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SpaceX set for historic Crew Dragon astronaut mission with splashdown from space

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is pictured while docked to the International Space Station. (SpaceX)

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SpaceX is close to becoming the first-ever private astronaut transportation service with the conclusion of the Crew Dragon Demonstration 2 mission (Demo 2) just hours away. Following a completely flawless autonomous undocking from the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule performed a series of autonomous burns setting it up for a picture-perfect return Sunday afternoon, August 2.

An illustration depicts the milestones of the Crew Dragon return trip following departure from the International Space Station. (SpaceX)

The process of ending Crew Dragon’s first astronaut mission – and final certification test flight – stretches about two days. On Saturday, August 1, the crew of the Demo 2 mission, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, participated in a farewell ceremony while aboard the International Space Station. The pair were joined by ISS Commander NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner to officially say goodbye ahead of their journey home.

The Demo-2 crew then spent the next few hours performing final check out tasks and packing the Crew Dragon capsule, which they designated as the “Dragonship Endeavour,” with the necessary cargo including a few special artifacts. Doug Hurley was sure to bring home a commemorative American flag that was delivered to the ISS by the crew of the final space shuttle mission STS-135 in 2011.

https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken/status/1289576302333145089

This flag symbolized the end of NASA’s space shuttle program and the beginning of the Commercial Crew era of astronaut transportation. The flag will be returned by Doug Hurley, a member of the final STS-135 crew, to later be flown on a future mission to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Bob Behnken was sure to bring home the zero-G indicator that traveled with the astronauts during their ascent trip to the ISS, a stuffed toy apatosaurs dinosaur named Tremor. The dinosaur was chosen by Behnken and Hurley’s young sons and will be returned to them.

Following the farewell ceremony, the Demo-2 crew boarded the Dragonship Endeavour and began undocking procedures. The astronauts, although able to intervene if necessary, notably had an observatory role during undocking as the Crew Dragon is designed to perform all docking and undocking procedures completely autonomously. The capsule unhooked from the ISS, backed up, and performed a series of burns to bring it up, over, and in front of the ISS completely autonomously, without incident.

An illustration depicts a series of burns Crew Dragon needs to perform to safely depart the ISS. (SpaceX)

Following the series of successful orientation burns, Behnken and Hurley were permitted to go to sleep aboard the capsule as Crew Dragon would spend the next nineteen hours orbiting the Earth ahead of its reentry, descent, and splashdown landing. As the crew slept, Crew Dragon autonomously performed a series of phasing burns to line the capsule up with the correct trajectory to attempt reentry just a few hours later.

Should everything proceed as planned, the Crew Dragon carrying the Demo-2 crew is expected to attempt deorbit, reentry, parachute deployment, and landing on the afternoon of Sunday, August 2nd. Behnken and Hurley are expected to return for a splashdown landing in the Gulf of Mexico off of Florida’s west coast near Pensacola, FL at 2:48 pm ET/11:48 am PT. A backup splashdown location has also been designated off the coast of Panama City, FL.

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A successful landing will solidify the Demo-2 mission in the history books and make SpaceX the first private company to transport NASA astronauts to and from the ISS successfully. Following the conclusion of the Demo-2 mission, the first operational mission of Crew Dragon, Crew-1, is tasked to take place later this fall no earlier than September 2020.

You can join NASA and SpaceX for the reentry events live on their social media accounts. The event is also available via live webcast found below or on SpaceX’s website.

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 ‘Mad Max’ gets its first bit of regulatory attention

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla “Mad Max” mode has gotten its first bit of regulatory attention, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has asked for additional information on the Speed Profile.

A few weeks ago, Tesla officially launched a new Speed Profile for Full Self-Driving (Supervised) known as “Mad Max,” which overtook the “Hurry” mode for the fastest setting FSD offers.

Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet

It launched with Full Self-Driving v14.1.2, and it was no secret that the company was looking for a new mode that would cater to more aggressive driving styles.

The release notes showed the description of the Speed Profile as:

“Introduced new speed profile MAD MAX, which comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.”

It certainly lived up to its description. In our testing, it was aggressive, fast, and drove similarly to some of the more challenging traffic patterns I’ve come across.

In normal highway driving, it was one of the quicker cars on the road, while other applications saw it be a suitable version for navigating things like rush-hour traffic.

Here’s what my experience with it was:

While Tesla owners have certainly enjoyed the feature and the behaviors of Mad Max, the NHTSA said it is in contact with Tesla about it, looking to gather additional information. Additionally, it said:

“The human behind the wheel is fully responsible for driving the vehicle and complying with all traffic safety laws.”

The important thing to note with Mad Max mode, along with the other Speed Profiles, is that the driver can choose whichever one they’d like, and they all cater to different driving styles.

While Mad Max is more aggressive, modes like “Sloth” and “Standard” are significantly more conservative and can be more suitable for those who are not comfortable with the faster, more spirited versions.

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Tesla shares AI5 chip’s ambitious production roadmap details

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed new details about the company’s next-generation AI5 chip, describing it as “an amazing design.”

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Image used with permission for Teslarati. (Credit: Tom Cross)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed new details about the company’s next-generation AI5 chip, describing it as “an amazing design” that could outperform its predecessor by a notable margin. Speaking during Tesla’s Q3 2025 earnings call, Musk outlined how the chip will be manufactured in partnership with both Samsung and TSMC, with production based entirely in the United States.

What makes AI5 special

According to Musk, the AI5 represents a complete evolution of Tesla’s in-house AI hardware, building on lessons learned from the AI4 system currently used in its vehicles and data centers. “By some metrics, the AI5 chip will be 40x better than the AI4 chip, not 40%, 40x,” Musk said during the Q3 2025 earnings call. He credited Tesla’s unique vertical integration for the breakthrough, noting that the company designs both the software and hardware stack for its self-driving systems.

To streamline the new chip, Tesla eliminated several traditional components, including the legacy GPU and image signal processor, since the AI5 architecture already incorporates those capabilities. Musk explained that these deletions allow the chip to fit within a half-reticle design, improving efficiency and power management. 

“This is a beautiful chip,” Musk said. “I’ve poured so much life energy into this chip personally, and I’m confident this is going to be a winner.”

Tesla’s dual manufacturing strategy for AI5

Musk confirmed that both Samsung’s Texas facility and TSMC’s Arizona plant will fabricate AI5 chips, with each partner contributing to early production. “It makes sense to have both Samsung and TSMC focus on AI5,” the CEO said, adding that while Samsung has slightly more advanced equipment, both fabs will support Tesla’s U.S.-based production goals.

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Tesla’s explicit objective, according to Musk, is to create an oversupply of AI5 chips. The surplus units could be used in Tesla’s vehicles, humanoid robots, or data centers, which already use a mix of AI4 and NVIDIA hardware for training. “We’re not about to replace NVIDIA,” Musk clarified. “But if we have too many AI5 chips, we can always put them in the data center.”

Musk emphasized that Tesla’s focus on designing for a single customer gives it a massive advantage in simplicity and optimization. “NVIDIA… (has to) satisfy a large range of requirements from many customers. Tesla only has to satisfy one customer, Tesla,” he said. This, Musk stressed, allows Tesla to delete unnecessary complexity and deliver what could be the best performance per watt and per dollar in the industry once AI5 production scales.

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Tesla VP hints at Solar Roof comeback with Giga New York push

The comments hint at possible renewed life for the Solar Roof program, which has seen years of slow growth since its 2016 unveiling.

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Image Credit: Tesla/Twitter

Tesla’s long-awaited and way underrated Solar Roof may finally be getting its moment. During the company’s Q3 2025 earnings call, Vice President of Energy Engineering Michael Snyder revealed that production of a new residential solar panel has started at Tesla’s Buffalo, New York facility, with shipments to customers beginning in the first quarter of 2026. 

The comments hint at possible renewed life for the Solar Roof program, which has seen years of slow growth since its 2016 unveiling.

Tesla Energy’s strong demand

Responding to an investor question about Tesla’s energy backlog, Snyder said demand for Megapack and Powerwall continues to be “really strong” into next year. He also noted positive customer feedback for the company’s new Megablock product, which is expected to start shipping from Houston in 2026.

“We’re seeing remarkable growth in the demand for AI and data center applications as hyperscalers and utilities have seen the versatility of the Megapack product. It increases reliability and relieves grid constraints,” he said.

Snyder also highlighted a “surge in residential solar demand in the US,” attributing the spike to recent policy changes that incentivize home installations. Tesla expects this trend to continue into 2026, helped by the rollout of a new solar lease product that makes adoption more affordable for homeowners.

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Possible Solar Roof revival?

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Snyder’s remarks, however, was Tesla’s move to begin production of its “residential solar panel” in Buffalo, New York. He described the new panels as having “industry-leading aesthetics” and shape performance, language Tesla has used to market its Solar Roof tiles in the past.

“We also began production of our Tesla residential solar panel in our Buffalo factory, and we will be shipping that to customers starting Q1. The panel has industry-leading aesthetics and shape performance and demonstrates our continued commitment to US manufacturing,” Snyder said during the Q3 2025 earnings call.

Snyder did not explicitly name the product, though his reference to aesthetics has fueled speculation that Tesla may finally be preparing a large-scale and serious rollout of its Solar Roof line.

Originally unveiled in 2016, the Solar Roof was intended to transform rooftops into clean energy generators without compromising on design. However, despite early enthusiasm, production and installation volumes have remained limited for years. In 2023, a report from Wood Mackenzie claimed that there were only 3,000 operational Solar Roof installations across the United States at the time, far below forecasts. In response, the official Tesla Energy account on X stated that the report was “incorrect by a large margin.”

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