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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 posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

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(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

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On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

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The Boring Company accelerates Vegas Loop expansion plans

The Boring Company clears fire safety delays, paving the way to accelerating its Vegas Loop expansion plans.

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Credit: The Boring Company/X

After overcoming fire safety hurdles, the Boring Company is accelerating its Vegas Loop expansion. The project’s progress signals a transformative boost for Sin City’s transportation and tourism.

Elon Musk’s tunneling company, along with The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Clark County, resolved fire safety concerns that delayed new stations.

“It’s new. It’s taken a little time to figure out what the standard should be,” said Steve Hill, LVCVA President and CEO, during last week’s board meeting. “We’ve gotten there. We’re excited about that. We’re ready to expand further, faster, than we have.”

Last month, the company submitted permits for tunnel extensions connecting Encore to a parcel of land owned by Wynn and Caesars Palace. The three tunnels are valued at $600,000 based on country records.

Plans for a Tropicana Loop are also advancing, linking UNLV to MGM Grand, T-Mobile Arena, Allegiant Stadium, Mandalay Bay, and the upcoming Athletics’ ballpark. Downtown extensions from the convention center to the Strat, Fremont Street Experience, and Circa’s Garage Mahal are also in the permitting process.

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“Those are all in process,” Hill noted. “We’ve got machines that are available to be put in the ground. I think we’ve reached a framework for how these projects are going to work and how they’ll be permitted from a safety standpoint, as well as a building standpoint.”

The Boring Company has six boring machines, with three currently active in Las Vegas. Last week, TBC announced that it successfully mined continuously in a Zero-People-in-Tunnel (ZPIT) configuration, enabling it to build more tunnels faster, safer, and at a more affordable rate.

Tunneling under Paradise Road is underway as The Boring Company works on the University Center Loop. The University Center Loop is expected to connect to the Las Vegas Convention Center within two months, linking to the Westgate tunnel. The full Vegas Loop will span 104 stations and 68 miles. Even though The Boring Company’s tunnel network in Las Vegas isn’t nearly finished, it has already become a key attraction in the city.

“It’s such a great attraction for shows that are looking at this building (convention center) and we’re going to be connected to everybody in town,” Hill said. “It’s a real difference-maker.”

A few Vegas Loop stations are already operational, including those connected to Resorts World, Westgate, Encore, and all the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop stations. The Downtown Loop, which connects to the downtown area, and the Riviera Station, the hub that leads to Resorts World with Westgate destinations, are also operational.

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As The Boring Company accelerates the Vegas Loop, its tunnels are poised to redefine mobility and tourism in Las Vegas, blending cutting-edge technology with practical urban solutions.

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