The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its review of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 mishap, clearing the way for the next launch attempt as soon as August 24. 

Flight 9 ended with the loss of both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage, but regulators accepted SpaceX’s findings that a fuel component failure was the root cause. No public safety concerns were reported from the incident.

Starship recovery lessons

SpaceX noted that Flight 9 marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy booster. Unlike prior attempts, the company did not try a tower “chopsticks” recovery, opting instead for an offshore return that ended in a destructive breakup. The upper stage was also lost over the Indian Ocean. 

As per the FAA in its statement, “There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property. The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation. The final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle as a failure of a fuel component. SpaceX identified corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the event.”

SpaceX also highlighted that Flight 9’s debris did not harm any wildlife. “SpaceX works with an experienced global response provider to retrieve any debris that may wash up in South Texas and/or Mexico as a result of Starship flight test operations. During the survey of the expected debris field from the booster, there was no evidence of any floating or deceased marine life that would signal booster debris impact harmed animals in the vicinity,” the private space company noted.

Expanding test objectives

To mitigate risks, SpaceX plans to adjust return angles for future flights and conduct additional landing burn tests on Flight 10. SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more, instead of a tower capture, according to a report from the Boston Herald.

The upcoming Starship Flight 10, which will be launching from Starbase in Texas, will also mark SpaceX’s attempt to perform its first payload deployment and an in-space Raptor relight. Despite recent setbacks, which include the last three flights ending with the upper stage experiencing a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD), Starship remains central to NASA’s Artemis program, with a variant tapped as the human landing system for Artemis III, the first since the Apollo program. 

Standing more than 400 feet tall and generating 16 million pounds of thrust, Starship remains the most powerful rocket flown, though it has yet to complete an orbital mission. The FAA has expanded SpaceX’s license to allow up to 25 Starship flights annually from Texas.

A Tesla executive has issued a key comment about a recent semi fire incident which resulted in the shutdown of Golden State (5) Freeway’s southbound lanes on Saturday.

Contrary to speculations from anti-electric vehicle critics, the flames reportedly began in the diesel truck carrying the Teslas, not the electric vehicles themselves.

The incident

As noted in an ABC7 report, a car carrier loaded with eight Teslas caught fire on the Golden State Freeway in Sylmar late Saturday, forcing authorities to close southbound lanes as responders battled flames and smoke. The fire was initially reported around 5:35 p.m., and it left six Teslas destroyed. The car carrier truck was heavily damaged as well. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department declared the fire out roughly four hours later, at 9:30 p.m. No injuries were reported from the incident. The driver of the semi was also unharmed. However, the fire caused notable congestion in traffic as officials worked to reopen the freeway. Truck lanes remained closed for hours to manage hazardous runoff and debris.

Tesla’s context

Amidst reports of the incident, rumors online emerged suggesting that Teslas being transported likely caused the blaze. Fortunately, Tesla VP for Supply Chain Roshan Thomas clarified that this was not the case. He also noted that Tesla is working really hard to ensure that the vehicles that were damaged in the unfortunate incident are replaced as quickly as possible.

“The third-party logistics (3PL) semi-truck caught fire first. Thankfully, the driver is ok; unfortunately the Teslas sustained damage. We will be looking to replace the vehicles for our intended customers as soon as we can. A very unfortunate accident,” the Tesla VP wrote in a post on X.

Tesla has pushed a crazy new incentive package, known as the “Luxe Package,” on the flagship Model S and Model X, along with a $10,000 price increase on each trim level.

The move aims to likely bolster margins for the company on the two cars while also giving those who choose to buy the Tesla lineup mainstays a variety of awesome advantages, including Free Supercharging, Full Self-Driving, and other add-ons.

Tesla is offering a crazy Supercharging incentive on its two ‘sentimental’ vehicles

Last night, Tesla launched the “Luxe Package” for the Model S and Model X, which includes the following four add-ons:

• Full Self-Driving (Supervised) – Your car will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention
• Four-Year Premium Service – Wheel and Tire Protection, Windshield Protection, and Recommended Maintenance
• Supercharging – Charge for free at 70,000+ Superchargers worldwide
• Premium Connectivity – Listen to music, stream movies, monitor live traffic, and more – no Wi-Fi needed

Full Self-Driving is priced at $8,000. Free Supercharging for the life of the car is between $10,000 and $15,000 over the life of the vehicle, although Tesla has valued it at $5,000 in recent promotions.

Free Premium Connectivity is roughly $1,000, and the four-year tire, wheel, windshield, and maintenance plan is about $3,200.

🚨 Tesla increased the price of both the Model S and Model X by $10,000, but both vehicles now include the “Luxe Package,” which includes:

-Full Self-Driving
-Four years of included maintenance, tire and wheel repairs, and windshield repairs/replacements
-Free lifetime… pic.twitter.com/LKv7rXruml

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 16, 2025

In all, the value is over $25,000, but this is loosely based on usage.

The Model S and Model X are low contributors to Tesla’s overall sales figures, as they make up less than five percent of sales from a quarterly perspective and have for some time.

As they are certainly the luxury choices in Tesla’s lineup, the Model 3 and Model Y are the bigger focus for the company, as a significantly larger portion of the company’s sales is made up of those vehicles.

The Luxe Package is an especially good idea for those who drive high-mileage and plan to use the Model S or Model X for commuting or long drives. The free Supercharging makes the deal worth it on its own.

As for the price bumps, each of the vehicles are now priced as follows:

• Model S All-Wheel-Drive: $94,990
• Model S Plaid: $109,990
• Model X All-Wheel-Drive: $99,990
• Model X Plaid: $114,990