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SpaceX just blew up a Starship tank on purpose and Elon Musk says the results are in

That's probably not gonna buff out. (NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal)

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6 years ago

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Before dawn on January 10th, SpaceX technicians and engineers intentionally blew up a miniature Starship tank in order to test recently-upgraded manufacturing and assembly methods, likely to be used to build the first Starships bound for flight tests and orbit.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk quickly weighed in on Twitter later the same day, revealing some crucial details about the Starship tank test and effectively confirming that it was a success. While somewhat unintuitive, this is the second time SpaceX has intentionally destroyed largely completed Starship hardware in order to determine the limits of the company’s current methods of production and assembly.

Most notably, on November 20th, SpaceX is believed to have intentionally overpressurized the Starship Mk1 prototype in a very similar – albeit larger-scale – test, destroying the vehicle and sending its top tank dome flying hundreds of feet into the air. It’s generally believed that SpaceX (or perhaps even just Musk) decided that Starship Mk1 was not fit to fly, leading the company to switch gears and deem the prototype a “manufacturing pathfinder” rather than the first Starship to fly – which Musk had explicitly stated just a few months prior.

Instead, Starship Mk1 suffered irreparable damage during its pressurization test and was rapidly scrapped in the weeks following, although several segments were thankfully salvaged – perhaps for use on future prototypes. Along those lines, it can arguably be said that the results from the mini Starship tank’s Jan. 10 pop test have paved the way for SpaceX to build the first truly flightworthy Starship prototypes – potentially all the way up to the first spaceworthy vehicles.

Hours after the test, Musk revealed that the Starship test tank failed almost exactly where and how SpaceX expected it would, bursting when the weld joining the upper dome and tank wall failed. Critically, the tank reached a maximum sustained pressure of 7.1 bar (103 psi), some 18% over the operating pressure (6 bar/87 psi) Musk says Starship prototypes will need to be declared fully capable of orbital test flights. In other words, given the tank’s size, it survived an incredible ~20,000 metric tons (45 million lbf) of force spread out over its surface area, equivalent to about 20% the weight of an entire US Navy aircraft carrier.

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Musk also revealed that SpaceX will require Starships to survive a minimum of 140% of that operating pressure before the company will allow the spacecraft to launch humans.

Some have less than generously taken to smugly noting that several modern spaceflight and engineering standards require that launch vehicle tankage be rated to survive no less than 125% of their operating pressure, while this test tank would be rated for less than 118% under identical conditions. However, this ignores several significant points of interest. First and foremost, the Starship test tank intentionally destroyed on January 10th was assembled from almost nothing – going from first weld to a completed pressurization test – in less than three weeks (20 days).

Second, all visible welding and assembly work was performed outside in the South Texas elements with only a minor degree of protection from the coastal winds and environment. Although some obvious tweaks were made to the specific methods used to assembly the prototype tank, it also appears that most of the welding was done by hand. For the most part, in other words, the methods used to build this improved test article were largely unchanged compared to Starship Mk1, which is believed to have failed around 3-5 bar (40-75 psi).

Additionally, it appears that almost all aspects of this test tank have smaller structural margins, meaning that the tank walls and domes are likely using steel stock that is substantially thinner than what was used on Starship Mk1. Nevertheless, thanks to the addition of continuous (single-weld) steel rings, a tweaked dome layout, and slightly refined welding, this test tank has performed anywhere from 20% to 200+% better than Starship Mk1 – again, all while coming together from scratch in a period of less than three weeks.

SpaceX technicians finished welding the tanks two halves together less than 24 hours before the tank was successfully pressure-tested. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

As Musk notes, with relatively minor improvements to welding conditions and the manufacturing precision of Starship rings and domes, SpaceX can likely ensure that Starships (and thus Super Heavy boosters) will be able to survive pressures greater than 8.5 bar (125 psi), thus guaranteeing a safety margin of at least 40%. Even a minor improvement of ~6% would give vehicles a safety margin of 125%, enough – in the eyes of engineering standards committees – to reasonably certify Starships for orbital test flights.

Technicians worked through the night and into the predawn morning to prepare the mini Starship tank for an intentional test to failure. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)
Although several hours after a scheduled roadblock, SpaceX ultimately successfully completed the pressure test around 5 am CST (11:00 UTC), January 10th. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

All things considered, it’s safe to assume that SpaceX is going to begin building and assembling Starship SN01 (formerly Mk3) hardware almost immediately. Given that this test tank took just 20 days to assemble, it’s safe to say that the upgraded prototype’s tank section could be completed in just a handful of weeks. Stay tuned for progress reports.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Supercharger Diner officially opens: menu, prices, features, and more

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles is open after seven years in the making.

Published

7 hours ago

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July 21, 2025

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tesla diner in los angeles during daytime
Credit: Matt Hartman

Tesla has officially opened its Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles to the public for the first time. It is an 80-Supercharger lot with two movie screens and a full-service 24/7 diner that serves a wide variety of locally sourced food for patrons while they charge or even just stop by.

It is not exclusive to Tesla owners, as anyone can stop by to experience the Diner and movie theater. It officially opened to the public at 4:20 p.m. local time.

In 2018, CEO Elon Musk said he was hoping to build a full-scale 50s era diner that served as a drive-in movie theater. Seven years later, it has officially come to life, and in typical Tesla fashion, it opened at a very appropriate time of day. We heard of people waiting as many as 13 hours for the site to open.

Tesla Diner Menu

BURGERS & SANDWICHES

  • Tesla Burger: $13.5
    • 1/3 lb. prime Brandt Beef with New School American cheese, lettuce, caramelized onions, pickles and Electric Sauce on a Martin’s Potato Roll
    • Add bacon: $3
    • Add Wagyu beef chili: $3
    • Add organic free-range fried egg: $2
    • Sub veggie patty
  • Hot Dog: $13
    • All-beef Snap-o-Razzo hot dog with mustard and onion pickle relish on a Martin’s Potato Roll. Served with fried potatoes
    • Add New School cheese sauce: $1
    • Add Wagyu beef chili: $1
  • Diner Club Sandwich: $13
    • Roasted turkey, Epio Bacon, blistered cherry tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and maple black pepper mayo on toasted Tartine buttermilk bread
  • Tuna Melt: $14
    • Wild-caught albacore tuna salad with New School American cheese and pickles on grilled Tartine buttermilk bread
  • Fried Chicken & Waffles: $15
    • Classic or spicy pickle-brined organic free-range chicken between two buttermilk waffles with maple black pepper mayo
    • Add New School cheese sauce: $1
    • Add bacon: $2
    • Add organic free-range fried egg: $3
    • Sub Martin’s Potato Roll
  • Grilled Cheese: $9
    • New School American cheese on grilled Tartine buttermilk bread
    • Add blistered tomatoes: $1
    • Add Avocado: $1.50
    • Add Epic Bacon: $3

ALL-DAY BREAKFAST

  • Egg Sandwich: $12
    • Two organic free-range scrambled eggs on a Martin’s Potato Roll with Epic Bacon, New School American cheese, baby arugula and Electric Sauce
    • Add avocado: $1.50
    • Substitute waffle Avocado Toast: $11
    • Sliced avocado, lime, tomatoes, pepitas, radish and arugula on toasted Tartine buttermilk bread
  • Greek Yogurt Parfait: $9
    • Strauss Creamery organic Greek yogurt, roasted strawberries, organic gluten-free granola and local honey
  • Breakfast Tacos: $9
    • Organic free-range scrambled eggs, beef chorizo, crispy potatoes and New School American cheese sauce folded inside two Tehachapi Grain Project organic flour tortillas. Served with a side of avocado crema
    • Sub bacon: $1
    • Add avocado: $1.50 Biscuits & Red Gravy: $15
  • Buttermilk biscuit with beef chorizo gravy and an organic free-range fried egg
  • House-Baked Cinnamon Roll: $7
    • Warm, frosted cinnamon roll with flaky salt

SIDES

  • Tallow-fried French fries: $4
    • Make it a cheese fries: $1 extra
    • Make it Wagyu chili cheese fries: $3 extra
  • Hash Brown Bites: $8
    • Crispy, tallow-fried shredded potatoes served with choice of dip
  • Wagyu Beef Chili Cup: $8
    • RC Provisons Wagyu beef chili with diced white onion and New School American cheese sauce
  • Buttermilk Waffle: $5 • Dusted with powdered sugar, served with real maple syrup
  • Market Salad: $10
    • Market kale and arugula, blistered cherry tomatoes, radishes, celery, shredded carrots, avocado, salted pepitas and toasted breadcrumbs.
    • Served with Dilly Ranch
    • Add roasted turkey: $3
    • Add fried chicken: $3.50
    • Add veggie patty: $4.50
    • Add tuna salad: $5
  • Epic Bacon:
    • $12 Four strips of maple-glazed black pepper bacon served with choice of dip

KIDS MENU

  • Kids Burger: $13
    • Prime Brandt Beef with New School American cheese
  • Kids’ Grilled Cheese: $13
    • New School American cheese on grilled Tartine buttermilk bread. No crust
  • Chicken Tenders: $13
    • Made with organic free-range chicken

DESSERTS

  • Soft Serve: $6
    • Chocolate, vanilla or swirl
  • Slice of Pie à la Mode: $12
    • Warm slice of Winston’s apple or pecan pie (gf) served with Valley Ford Creamery softserve a la mode
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie: $5
    • Warm chocolate chip cookie with flaky sea salt

DRINKS

  • Cane sugar sodas: $4 each: Cola, diet cola, lemon-lime, root beer, orange, black cherry or cream.
  • Milkshakes $8
    • Vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. Make it a Pie Shake for an extra $4
    • (apple or pecan).
  • Lemonade: $4
  • Organic Draft Kombucha: $8
  • Drip Coffee: $4
  • Nitro Cold Brew: $4.5
  • Espresso (hot, iced, decaf): $4
  • Cappuccino (hot, iced, decaf): $5.5
  • Latte (hot, iced, decaf): $6
  • Iced Nitro Matcha: $6.5
  • Charged Sodas:
    • Creamsicle: $7
      • Orange soda, cream soda, vanilla foam, fresh orange and orange popping boba
    • Shirley Temple: $7
      • Lemon-lime soda, grenadine, fresh lime and maraschino cherries
    • Lime Rickey: $7
      • Lemon-lime soda and fresh lime
    • Catawba Flip: $7
      • Grape soda, vanilla foam, nutmeg and grapes
    • Dirty Kombucha: $10
      • Citrus kombucha, vanilla foam, fresh orange and lime, maraschino cherries.

Tesla Diner Details

The opening of the Diner was launched by Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer:

There is also merchandise available at the Diner, including:

  • Tesla Bot Action Figure
  • Hollywood Retro Diner Tee
  • Tesla Sweets | Supercharged Gummies: Dog Mode Chill, Mango Bolt, and CyberBerry
  • Tesla Diner Trucker Hat
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Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s Neuralink posts massive update with new milestone

This is the first time Neuralink has successfully implanted two patients in a single day.

Published

13 hours ago

on

July 21, 2025

By

neuralink link device with white background
(Credit: Neuralink)

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has posted a massive update with a new milestone that puts the company’s progress into perspective. Over the past few years, we have seen tremendous strides in Neuralink’s capabilities.

Now, the company has completed a new first, bringing more hope to the future of this revolutionary technology.

Neuralink’s third brain chip patient shares first video edited with BCI

Neuralink revealed in an update on Monday morning that it has officially completed two implants in a single day, with Patients 8 and 9 both receiving devices over the past weekend.

“Both participants are recovering well and in great spirits,” the company said in the short update. It did not disclose which day the surgeries were completed, but it did state explicitly that they both occurred on the same day:

Musk said that Neuralink’s capabilities could do “life-changing good for ultimately millions, maybe billions, of people.” Right now, it is being used to help combat life-altering diseases, such as ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, as well as cervical spinal cord injuries.

Eventually, Neuralink could resolve things like anxiety, depression, and blindness, among many other ailments.

Its Link device also received FDA recognition for speech restoration earlier this year, marking a significant bit of progress in the program as it explores ways to cure ailments of various natures.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk gives key update on plans for Tesla Diner outside of LA

More Tesla Supercharger Diners are on the way, Elon Musk says, as long as the initial one is successful.

Published

14 hours ago

on

July 21, 2025

By

tesla diner supercharger in los angeles california at night
Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has given a key update on its plans for the Tesla Supercharger Diner, as the first location in Los Angeles is set to open today, July 21.

The idea for the Supercharger Diner, which resembles a 50s-style eatery with elements of futuristic technology, is seven years in the making. Many wondered whether Tesla would expand its idea for a Supercharger restaurant outside of LA, and now we have an answer directly from Musk.

Elon Musk confirms awesome new features at Tesla Diner Supercharger

The Tesla CEO said that the company will establish these types of experiences “in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes.”

The Supercharger Diner has plenty of ways to draw in customers, and although the food and merchandise sold at the location will not be a major contributor to Tesla’s balance sheet, where investors want to see it, it could pay off in other ways.

The Diner is not exclusive to Tesla owners, so those who drive gas cars can still stop in for a burger, fries, and a shake while roaming around Los Angeles. The features of the Diner, however, do require a Tesla vehicle.

In-car ordering and movie screens syncing to the center touchscreen are two things that Tesla owners will enjoy that other drivers will not. These might be trivial, but the experience on its own could be a way that some consider buying a Tesla.

It might sound crazy that a singular diner experience would flip someone to buy a car, but it’s not the most outlandish thing we’ve ever come across.

The question is where Tesla will plan to build these Supercharger Diners. Musk has already indicated that Starbase, Texas, will be one location, which fits with one of his other companies, SpaceX.

Austin could be an ideal location, but New York, Miami, Washington D.C., Boston, and plenty of other popular metro areas within the U.S. could see their own diners in the coming years.

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