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SpaceX ships upgraded cargo spacecraft to Florida for first orbital Dragon rendezvous
SpaceX says it’s shipped the first upgraded Dragon 2 cargo spacecraft to Florida, opening the door for the first simultaneous spaceflight of two Dragons.
More or less a modified version of SpaceX’s rapidly maturing Crew Dragon spacecraft, the company says that Cargo Dragon 2 will be “able to carry 50% more science payloads” than the original Cargo Dragon. Cargo Dragon checked off numerous earthshaking milestones over its career, ultimately becoming the first privately-developed spacecraft to reach orbit, reenter, and splashdown; the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), and the first routinely-reused orbital capsule.
SpaceX retired the historic vehicle after it completed its 21st successful orbital launch and landing in April 2020, less than two months before Crew Dragon lifted off on an even more historic astronaut launch debut. Prior to Demo-2, Crew Dragon completed what both NASA and SpaceX deemed an almost unbelievably flawless uncrewed launch debut in March 2019. Now, two months after the spacecraft successfully returned two NASA astronauts from orbit to earth for the first time, SpaceX is gearing up for Crew Dragon’s operational astronaut launch debut at almost the exact same time as Cargo Dragon 2 is preparing for its own debut.
As of an October 10th update from NASA, SpaceX and the space agency have decided to delay Crew Dragon’s Crew-1 launch by several weeks to double and triple-check that a booster engine issue that aborted a recent Falcon 9 satellite launch has no common root with its sister rocket. Likely built side by side at SpaceX’s Hawthorne, CA factory, it’s not unreasonable to want to verify that Falcon 9 booster B1061 (Crew-1) is unaffected by the same issue that forced B1062 to abort its US military GPS III satellite launch on October 2nd.
As a result, Crew-1 has slipped from placeholder launch dates on October 23rd and October 31st to sometime in “early-to-mid November,” while most external sources suggest that a mid-to-late November target is more likely. NASA and SpaceX never confirmed the arrival but Crew Dragon capsule C207 likely reached Florida in late August or early September, where teams have since been outfitting and processing the spacecraft for final inspection and closeout procedures.
Meanwhile, SpaceX says it shipped the first Crew Dragon-derived Cargo Dragon to Florida several days ago, meaning that the company will soon begin simultaneous preflight processing of two upgraded Dragons for the first time. Notably, SpaceX offered no launch target in its CRS-21 update, though NASA planning documents – prior to recent Crew-1 delays – stated that the mission is scheduled to launch NET November 22nd.
In other words, CRS-21 and Crew-1 are currently scheduled to launch within the same roughly two-week period – a situation that could pose some unique problems. As of now, Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon 2 both have to launch from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, as the pad is outfitted with a unique tower and Crew Access Arm (CAA) that both allows astronauts to board and cargo to be loaded. SpaceX’s Pad 39A turnaround record – the time between two launches from the same pad – is roughly 10 days and that figure is likely much higher for Crew Dragon missions.
If current dates hold, NASA will have to decide which SpaceX Dragon mission to launch first. Either way, though, it would take a major delay for CRS-21 and Crew-1 not to mark the first time that two SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will meet in orbit at the ISS. If successful, it’s safe to say that SpaceX will firmly solidify its position as the only spaceflight company on Earth truly capable of doing it all – from affordable and reusable rocket launches, crewed spaceflight, and space station resupply missions to orbital tourism and more.
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Tesla analyst Gary Black of The Future Fund claims that the company is making a big mistake getting rid of the Model S and Model X. Instead, he believes another vehicle within the company’s lineup should be discontinued: the Cybertruck.
Black divested The Future Fund from all Tesla holdings last year, but he still covers the stock as an analyst as it falls in the technology and autonomy sectors, which he covers.
In a new comment on Thursday, Black said the Cybertruck should be the vehicle Tesla gets rid of due to the negatives it has drawn to the company.
The Cybertruck is also selling in an underwhelming fashion considering the production capacity Tesla has set aside for it. It’s worth noting it is still the best-selling electric pickup on the market, and it has outlasted other EV truck projects as other manufacturers are receding their efforts.
Black said:
“IMHO it’s a mistake to keep Tesla Cybertruck which has negative brand equity and sold 10,000 units last year, and discontinue S/X which have strong repeat brand loyalty and together sold 30K units and are highly profitable. Why not discontinue CT and covert S/X to be fully autonomous?”
IMHO it’s a mistake to keep $TSLA Cybertruck which has negative brand equity and sold 10,000 units last year, and discontinue S/X which have strong repeat brand loyalty and together sold 30K units and are highly profitable. Why not discontinue CT and covert S/X to be fully…
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) January 29, 2026
On Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla planned to transition Model S and Model X production lines at the Fremont Factory to handle manufacturing efforts of the Optimus Gen 3 robot.
Musk said that it was time to wind down the S and X programs “with an honorable discharge,” also noting that the two cars are not major contributors to Tesla’s mission any longer, as its automotive division is more focused on autonomy, which will be handled by Model 3, Model Y, and Cybercab.
Tesla begins Cybertruck deliveries in a new region for the first time
The news has drawn conflicting perspectives, with many Tesla fans upset about the decision, especially as it ends the production of the largest car in the company’s lineup. Tesla’s focus is on smaller ride-sharing vehicles, especially as the vast majority of rides consist of two or fewer passengers.
The S and X do not fit in these plans.
Nevertheless, the Cybertruck fits in Tesla’s future plans. Musk said the pickup will be needed for the transportation of local goods. Musk also said Cybertruck would be transitioned to an autonomous line.
In a groundbreaking new report from Reuters, SpaceX is reportedly discussing merger possibilities with xAI ahead of the space exploration company’s plans to IPO later this year, in what would be a blockbuster move.
The outlet said it would combine rockets and Starlink satellites, as well as the X social media platform and AI project Grok under one roof. The report cites “a person briefed on the matter and two recent company filings seen by Reuters.”
Musk, nor SpaceX or xAI, have commented on the report, so, as of now, it is unconfirmed.
With that being said, the proposed merger would bring shares of xAI in exchange for shares of SpaceX. Both companies were registered in Nevada to expedite the transaction, according to the report.
On January 21, both entities were registered in Nevada. The report continues:
“One of them, a limited liability company, lists SpaceX and Bret Johnsen, the company’s chief financial officer, as managing members, while the other lists Johnsen as the company’s only officer, the filings show.”
The source also stated that some xAI executives could be given the option to receive cash in lieu of SpaceX stock. No agreement has been reached, nothing has been signed, and the timing and structure, as well as other important details, have not been finalized.
SpaceX is valued at $800 billion and is the most valuable privately held company, while xAI is valued at $230 billion as of November. SpaceX could be going public later this year, as Musk has said as recently as December that the company would offer its stock publicly.
The plans could help move along plans for large-scale data centers in space, something Musk has discussed on several occasions over the past few months.
At the World Economic Forum last week, Musk said:
“It’s a no-brainer for building solar-powered AI data centers in space, because as I mentioned, it’s also very cold in space. The net effect is that the lowest cost place to put AI will be space and that will be true within two to three years, three at the latest.”
He also said on X that “the most important thing in the next 3-4 years is data centers in space.”
If the report is true and the two companies end up coming together, it would not be the first time Musk’s companies have ended up coming together. He used Tesla stock to purchase SolarCity back in 2016. Last year, X became part of xAI in a share swap.
Tesla has announced it has hit a major milestone with Full Self-Driving subscriptions, shortly after it said it would exclusively offer the suite without the option to purchase it outright.
Tesla announced on Wednesday during its Q4 Earnings Call for 2025 that it had officially eclipsed the one million subscription mark for its Full Self-Driving suite. This represented a 38 percent increase year-over-year.
This is up from the roughly 800,000 active subscriptions it reported last year. The company has seen significant increases in FSD adoption over the past few years, as in 2021, it reported just 400,000. In 2022, it was up to 500,000 and, one year later, it had eclipsed 600,000.
NEWS: For the first time, Tesla has revealed how many people are subscribed or have purchased FSD (Supervised).
Active FSD Subscriptions:
• 2025: 1.1 million
• 2024: 800K
• 2023: 600K
• 2022: 500K
• 2021: 400K pic.twitter.com/KVtnyANWcs— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 28, 2026
In mid-January, CEO Elon Musk announced that the company would transition away from giving the option to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, opting for the subscription program exclusively.
Musk said on X:
“Tesla will stop selling FSD after Feb 14. FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter.”
The move intends to streamline the Full Self-Driving purchase option, and gives Tesla more control over its revenue, and closes off the ability to buy it outright for a bargain when Musk has said its value could be close to $100,000 when it reaches full autonomy.
It also caters to Musk’s newest compensation package. One tranche requires Tesla to achieve 10 million active FSD subscriptions, and now that it has reached one million, it is already seeing some growth.
The strategy that Tesla will use to achieve this lofty goal is still under wraps. The most ideal solution would be to offer a less expensive version of the suite, which is not likely considering the company is increasing its capabilities, and it is becoming more robust.
Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk
Currently, Tesla’s FSD subscription price is $99 per month, but Musk said this price will increase, which seems counterintuitive to its goal of increasing the take rate. With that being said, it will be interesting to see what Tesla does to navigate growth while offering a robust FSD suite.
Tesla analyst claims another vehicle, not Model S and X, should be discontinued
SpaceX reportedly discussing merger with xAI ahead of blockbuster IPO
