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Weekly Space Recap: August 7 – August 13
Here are some of the stories you may have missed in the past week. The second week of August 2023 featured updates to Boeing’s delayed Starliner capsule, the Artemis II crew getting a look at their ride around the moon to SpaceX making more progress with the Starship program.
Boeing’s Starliner Delayed Further – More testing is in store for the long-delayed spacecraft as the company needs to verify the parachute system works as intended and finish removing a flammable tape that was inadvertently used on the capsule.
SpaceX continues Starlink launches – SpaceX launched 15 V2 mini Starlink satellites from California. The webcast featured beautiful views of Orbital Sunset as seen from the 2nd stage of the Falcon 9 as it completed its journey to space.
Booster 9 heads back to the production site – Following the first static fire test since the Integrated Test Flight, Booster 9 was removed from the Orbital Launch Mount and transported back to the production site for inspections and most likely engine swaps as 4 shut down early during the test.
Rocket Lab shares positive Q2 results – The company had a good Q2 and shared updates moving into Q3 and beyond, including additional launch contracts and updates on their new medium-lift rocket Neutron that will be a competitor with the Falcon 9 in the future.
We solved small launch with Electron. Now Neutron is taking shape to solve medium lift. #OpeningAccessToSpace pic.twitter.com/Pw9fn7v59j
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) August 10, 2023
Artemis II crew check out their ride around the Moon – The first crew to fly around the Moon in 50 years got a view of their ride, the Orion capsule, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The capsule is currently still being tested and assembled. Their trip is currently planned for no earlier than November 2024.
Virgin Galactic completes first all-civilian flight – The VSS Unity carried three civilians to 88.5 km on a trip to space, depending on which definition you follow. The passengers were able to enjoy a few minutes of weightlessness before returning to their seats for the glide back to the ground.
Amazon to fly Kuiper prototypes on Atlas V – Originally meant to launch on the new United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket, delays to that program have forced Amazon to switch to the Atlas V. Amazon had already bought multiple Atlas V launches. However, those were intended to fly many more satellites than just two prototypes.
SpaceX caps off week with another Starlink launch – SpaceX launched 22 V2 mini Starlinks from Cape Canaveral just after midnight, with Booster 1069 completing its 9th flight. This launch marked four launches in 8 days for the company before taking a small break.
Falcon 9 launches 22 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida pic.twitter.com/m8Y4p3VSoQ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 11, 2023
This past week included a mix of good news and bad news, depending on which way you look at it. Hopefully, Boeing can get their program on track, as having two providers to send astronauts to the ISS is very important.
What do you think of the news that broke last week? Looking ahead to this week, SpaceX is at it again with more Starlink launches.
Thanks for reading the Weekly Space Recap!
Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.
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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.
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Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the DPA, noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns amid challenging market conditions.
Tesla is looking positively toward 2026 with plans for further growth at its Grünheide factory in Germany, following steady quarterly increases throughout 2025.
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns despite challenging market conditions.
Giga Berlin’s steady progress
Thierig stated that Giga Berlin’s production actually rose in every quarter of 2025 as planned, stating: “This gives us a positive outlook for the new year, and we expect further growth.” The factory currently supplies over 30 markets, with Canada recently being added due to cost advantages.
Giga Berlin’s expansion is still underway, with the first partial approval for capacity growth being secured. Preparations for a second partial approval are underway, though the implementation of more production capacity would still depend on decisions from Tesla’s US leadership.
Over the year, updates to Giga Berlin’s infrastructure were also initiated. These include the relocation of the Fangschleuse train station and the construction of a new road. Tesla is also planning to start battery cell production in Germany starting 2027, targeting up to 8 GWh annually.
Resilience amid market challenges
Despite a 48% drop in German registrations, Tesla maintained Giga Berlin’s stability. Thierig highlighted this, stating that “We were able to secure jobs here and were never affected by production shutdowns or job cuts like other industrial sites in Germany.”
Thierig also spoke positively towards the German government’s plans to support households, especially those with low and middle incomes, in the purchase and leasing of electric vehicles this 2026. “In our opinion, it is important that the announcement is implemented very quickly so that consumers really know exactly what is coming and when,” the Giga Berlin manager noted.
Giga Berlin currently employs around 11,000 workers, and it produces about 5,000 Model Y vehicles per week, as noted in an Ecomento report. The facility produces the Model Y Premium variants, the Model Y Standard, and the Model Y Performance.