News
SpaceX’s first NASA astronauts to receive Space Medal of Honor for Dragon test flight
NASA says that the astronauts responsible for SpaceX’s first crewed Dragon test flight will be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for their bravery.
Kamala Harris, the sitting US Vice President and Chair of the National Space Council, will bestow the exceptionally rare awards to former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken in a ceremony on Tuesday, January 31st. NASA will stream the event live on all social media platforms and its own NASA TV service, beginning around 4:15 pm EST (21:15 UTC).
The update that's rolling out to the fleet makes full use of the front and rear steering travel to minimize turning circle. In this case a reduction of 1.6 feet just over the air— Wes (@wmorrill3) April 16, 2024
Since Congress authorized the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1969, it has been awarded just 28 times. Just 11 went to living astronauts, while the other 17 were awarded posthumously: to the three NASA astronauts killed in the 1967 Apollo 1 accident and the 14 astronauts killed in the Space Shuttle’s 1986 Challenger disaster and 2003 Columbia disaster. Former President George W. Bush awarded the most recent medal to Robert L. Crippen, the first Space Shuttle pilot, in 2006.
NASA notes that “despite the medal’s name, the President awards this medal based upon recommendations from the NASA Administrator,” indicating that Administrator Bill Nelson selected Behnken and Hurley for the honor. It’s difficult to imagine a pair of astronauts more worthy of ending the 16-year gap since the last Space Medal of Honor was awarded.
Prior to the Dragon test flight they will be honored for, Behnken and Hurley had storied careers in the US military and at NASA. Bob Behnken earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from Caltech in 1997 and eventually became a lead flight test engineer in the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor program. He was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2000 and flew two Space Shuttle missions in 2008 and 2010. In 2012, Behnken was chosen to lead NASA’s prestigious Astronaut Office, and did so for three years before he began training for the Commercial Crew Program.
Doug Hurley earned a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1988 and received a commission in the US Marine Corps upon graduating. He made three deployments as an F/A-18 pilot and later became a Navy Test Pilot in 1997. Hurley was “the first Marine pilot to fly the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet” and has experience flying more than 25 types of aircraft. He was also selected to become an astronaut in 2000 and flew on two Space Shuttle flights, including the Shuttle’s 135th and final mission in 2011.
In 2018, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were assigned to SpaceX’s first crewed Crew Dragon test flight. Leaning on their histories as pilots and engineers, they worked with SpaceX for multiple years before the company’s historic astronaut launch debut. Their input lives on today throughout SpaceX’s Dragon program, from the spacecraft’s design and interior to how the company trains private and public astronauts.
On May 30th, 2020, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley became the first NASA astronauts to lift off from US soil since the Space Shuttle’s 2011 retirement and the first astronauts in history to ride a privately-developed rocket and spacecraft into orbit. Defying expectations, Crew Dragon beat Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the punch and performed (more or less) flawlessly throughout its Demo-2 test flight.
NASA was so confident in SpaceX – and encouraged by Crew Dragon’s initial performance – that Demo-2 was extended from a minimum duration of about a week to 62 days. After two months in orbit, Crew Dragon successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), deorbited, reentered Earth’s atmosphere, deployed parachutes, and gently splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico – safely returning Behnken and Hurley to Earth.
The highly successful test flight allowed NASA to rapidly certify Dragon. Less than four months later, another Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted on a Falcon 9 rocket on SpaceX’s first operational astronaut ferry mission for NASA. More than two years later, Boeing’s Starliner remains uncertified, and Crew Dragon is still the only spacecraft capable of sustaining the presence of NASA astronauts at the ISS. SpaceX is on track to launch its sixth consecutive astronaut ferry mission – Crew-6 – no earlier than February 26th.
The pressure on SpaceX and the importance of Crew Dragon to NASA cannot be overstated. In a nontrivial sense, NASA and SpaceX would not have Crew Dragon’s essential – and currently irreplaceable – capabilities without the work done and risks taken by Behnken and Hurley. Had either astronaut made a significant mistake or faltered during Dragon’s Demo-2 test flight, the state of US human spaceflight could be significantly worse off than it is today. Instead, the astronauts played their parts to perfection and helped catapult SpaceX, NASA, and the world into a new era of commercial human spaceflight.
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley retired from NASA in 2021 and 2022, respectively. They will receive the 29th and 30th Congressional Space Medals of Honor.
Investor's Corner
Tesla Board member and Airbnb co-founder loads up on TSLA ahead of robotaxi launch
Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a nod of appreciation for the Tesla Board member’s purchase.
Tesla Board member and Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia has loaded up on TSLA stock (NASDAQ:TSLA). The Board member’s purchase comes just over a month before Tesla is expected to launch an initial robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a nod of appreciation for the Tesla Board member in a post on social media.
The TSLA Purchase
As could be seen in a Form 4 submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, Gebbia purchased about $1.02 million worth of TSLA stock. This was comprised of 4,000 TSLA shares at an average price of $256.308 per share.
Interestingly enough, Gebbia’s purchase represents the first time an insider has purchased TSLA stock in about five years. CEO Elon Musk, in response to a post on social media platform X about the Tesla Board member’s TSLA purchase, gave a nod of appreciation for Gebbia. “Joe rocks,” Musk wrote in his post on X.
Gebbia has served on Tesla’s Board as an independent director since 2022, and he is also a known friend of Elon Musk. He even joined the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help the government optimize its processes.
Just a Few Weeks Before Robotaxi
The timing of Gebbia’s TSLA stock purchase is quite interesting as the company is expected to launch a dedicated roboatxi service this June in Austin. A recent report from Insider, citing sources reportedly familiar with the matter, claimed that Tesla currently has 300 test operators driving robotaxis around Austin city streets. The publication’s sources also noted that Tesla has an internal deadline of June 1 for the robotaxi service’s rollout, but even a launch near the end of the month would be impressive.
During the Q1 2025 earnings call, Elon Musk explained that the robotaxi service that would be launched in June will feature autonomous rides in Model Y units. He also noted that the robotaxi service would see an expansion to other cities by the end of 2025. “The Teslas that will be fully autonomous in June in Austin are probably Model Ys. So, that is currently on track to be able to do paid rides fully autonomously in Austin in June and then to be in many other cities in the US by the end of this year,” Musk stated.
News
Stellantis unveils solid-state battery for EVs
Stellantis validated solid state battery cells for EVs: ultra-dense, fast-charging, and AI-optimized. Launching demo fleet by 2026.
Stellantis N.V. and Factorial Energy have validated Factorial’s automotive-sized FEST® solid-state battery cells, a major milestone for next-generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The breakthrough positions Stellantis and Factorial to advance EV performance with lighter, more efficient batteries.
“Reaching this level of performance reflects the strengths of our collaboration with Factorial.
“This breakthrough puts us at the forefront of the solid-state revolution, but we are not stopping there. We continue working together to push the boundaries and deliver even more advanced solutions, bringing us closer to lighter, more efficient batteries that reduce costs for our customers,” said Ned Curic, Stellanti’s Chief Engineering and Technology Officer.
The 77Ah FEST® cells achieved an energy density of 375Wh/kg, supporting over 600 cycles toward automotive qualification. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, these solid-state cells charge from 15% to over 90% in 18 minutes at room temperature and deliver high power with discharge rates up to 4C. Factorial’s AI-driven electrolyte formulation enables performance in temperatures from -30°C to 45°C (-22°F to 113°F), overcoming previous solid-state limitations.
“Battery development is about compromise. While optimizing one feature is simple, balancing high energy density, cycle life, fast charging, and safety in an automotive-sized battery with OEM validation is a breakthrough,” said Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial Energy. “This achievement with Stellantis is bringing next-generation battery technology from research to reality.”
The collaboration optimizes battery pack design for reduced weight and improved efficiency, enhancing vehicle range and affordability. Stellantis invested $75 million in Factorial in 2021 and plans to integrate these batteries into a demonstration fleet by 2026. This fleet will validate the technology’s real-world performance, a critical step toward commercialization.
The milestone aligns with Stellantis’ push for sustainable EV solutions, leveraging Factorial’s disruptive technology to meet the rising demand for high-performance batteries. As the companies refine pack architecture, the validated cells promise faster charging and greater efficiency, potentially reshaping the EV market. With the demonstration fleet on the horizon, Stellantis and Factorial are poised to lead the solid-state battery push, delivering cost-effective, high-range EVs to consumers.
News
Tesla China vehicle registrations rise 51% in April’s fourth week
In the week ending April 27, Tesla China saw 10,300 new vehicle registrations.
Tesla China’s new vehicle registrations saw a notable rise in the week of April 21-27, 2025. Over the week, the electric vehicle maker’s registrations saw an impressive 51% week-over-week rise, suggesting that domestic vehicle deliveries are on the rise once more.
Tesla China Results
In the week ending April 27, Tesla China saw 10,300 new vehicle registrations. This represents a notable rise from the company’s registration numbers in the past weeks of April. For context, Tesla China saw 3,600 registrations in the week ending April 6, 5,400 registrations in the week ending April 13, and 6,780 registrations in the week ending April 20, 2025.
Considering that April is the first month of the second quarter, expectations were high that Tesla China was allocating Giga Shanghai’s output for vehicle exports. With 10,300 registrations in the week ending April 27, however, it would appear that the company’s domestic deliveries are picking up once more.
Tesla China does not report its weekly sales figures, though a general idea of the company’s overall perforce in the domestic auto sector can be inferred through new vehicle registrations. Fortunately, these registrations are closely tracked by industry watchers, as well as some local automakers like Li Auto.
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in Focus
Tesla China produces the Model Y and Model 3 in Giga Shanghai. Both vehicles are also exported from China to foreign territories. As per industry watchers, it would appear that both the Model 3 and Model Y saw an increase in registrations in the week ending April 27.
The Model 3, for one, appears to have seen 3,200 registrations in the week ending April 27, a 14% increase from the 2,800 that were registered in the week ending April 20. For context, Tesla China saw just 1,500 new Model 3 registrations in the week ending April 13 and 1,040 registrations in the week ending April 6.
The Model Y, on the other hand, saw 7,100 registrations in the week ending April 27. That’s a 77.5% increase from the 4,000 that were registered in the week ending April 20. Tesla also saw 3,900 registrations in the week ending April 13, and 2,540 registrations in the week ending April 6, 2025.
Tesla Board member and Airbnb co-founder loads up on TSLA ahead of robotaxi launch
Stellantis unveils solid-state battery for EVs
Tesla China vehicle registrations rise 51% in April’s fourth week
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