

SpaceX
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: Starship prototype to have 3 Raptors and “mirror finish”
Taking to Twitter once more to reveal additional information about SpaceX’s radically changing BFR/Starship prototype program, CEO Elon Musk has made an unexpected visit to the company’s South Texas BFR testing facilities to oversee rapid progress with a low-fidelity hop test prototype of the orbital Starship spacecraft.
Included in a handful of replies that followed the tweeted image, Musk described some of the key advantages of a stainless steel Starship – including mirror-like thermal reflectivity for hot reentries and a “usable” strength-to-mass ratio superior to carbon fiber – as well as features of prototype cousin.
Stainless Steel Starship pic.twitter.com/rRoiEKKrYc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2018
While the CEO did imply on Saturday that the Mars-focused Raptor engine had been what he described as “radically redesigned”, Musk’s statement that the Starship hopper will feature three Raptor engines does at least set a lower bound for the ship’s maximum gross takeoff weight when the time comes for it to take flight.
Yes. Radically redesigned Raptor ready to fire next month.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 22, 2018
While the suggestion that Raptor’s turbopumps (basically fuel pumps) would need at least 100,000 HP per engine seems to indicate that the flight design’s thrust has been appreciably uprated, a past figure of ~2000 kN (450,000 lbf) per engine suggests that Starship V0.1 could weigh as much as an entire Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket (~1.2 million pounds, 550,000 kg) and still having a solid 80-100% of Falcon 9’s liftoff thrust. Put simply, the rocket that appears to be coming together in the boonies of South Texas could rival almost any other liquid fuel rocket booster in service, while still being the testbed for BFR’s upper stage alone.
While it’s ambiguous if several additional comments applied to the Starship prototype, the final product, or both, Musk also indicated that some of the biggest benefits of a shift away from carbon composites to stainless steel would be relative ease with which the material handles extreme heating. Thanks to the fact that stainless steel can ultimately be polished to mirror-like levels of reflectivity and that mirrors are some of the most efficient reflectors of thermal energy (heat), shiny and unpainted steel would ultimately perform far better than carbon composites and could end up requiring “much less” heat shielding for the same performance.
- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (bocachicagal – NASASpaceflight)
- A conspicuous nosecone appears to have arisen inside SpaceX’s new Boca Chica tent, adjacent to what looks like a water tower with tube legs. (bocachicagal – NASASpaceflight)
- Boca Chica, 12/23/18. (NASASpaceflight /u/bocachicagal)
- It remains to be seen if BFR can be made as reusable and reliable as it will need to be to sustainably support interplanetary humans. (SpaceX)
- Starship – in its 2018 design iteration – seen landing on Mars atop pillars of Raptor flame. (SpaceX)
Perhaps most unintuitive is the fact that steel can apparently beat carbon composites when it comes to usable strength-to-weight ratios at supercool temperatures. According to Musk, steel also performs “vastly better” at high temperatures and appreciably better at room temperatures. A comment made on Saturday may lend additional credence to what seems at face value to contradict basic material intuition – at least some of the stainless steel SpaceX is examing would be a special (presumably SpaceX-engineered) alloy that has undergone what is known as cryogenic treatment, in which metals are subjected to extremely cold conditions to create some seriously unintuitive properties. Ultimately, cold-formed/worked or cryo-treated steel can be dramatically lighter and more wear-resistant than traditional hot-rolled steel.
Usable strength/weight of full hard stainless at cryo is slightly better than carbon fiber, room temp is worse, high temp is vastly better
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2018
Combined with advanced new alloys and a uniquely strong handle on working with supercool propellant (likely transferable to cold-forming steel), SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk could have a true breakthrough on their hands, especially if it turns out that a great deal of deep thought, analysis, and refinement fed into these “radical” design changes. With Starship Alpha’s hop tests potentially beginning as early as March 2019, we won’t have long to wait to find out.
For prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet check out our brand new LaunchPad and LandingZone newsletters!
News
FAA clears SpaceX for Starship Flight 10 after probe into Flight 9 mishap
SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more instead of a tower capture.

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.
News
Ukraine completes first Starlink direct-to-cell test in Eastern Europe
The trial was announced by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Kyivstar’s parent company Veon, in a press release.

Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, has completed its first test of Starlink’s Direct to Cell satellite technology, enabling text messages to be sent directly from 4G smartphones without extra hardware.
The trial was announced by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Kyivstar’s parent company Veon in a press release.
First Eastern Europe field test
The Zhytomyr region hosted the pilot, where Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov exchanged texts and even made a brief video call via Starlink’s satellite link in northern Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region.
Veon stated that the test marked Eastern Europe’s first field trial of the technology, which will allow Kyivstar’s 23 million subscribers to stay connected in areas without cellular coverage. The service will debut in fall 2025 with free text messaging during its testing phase.
“Our partnership with Starlink integrates terrestrial networks with satellite platforms, ensuring that nothing stands between our customers and connectivity – not power outages, deserts, mountains, floods, earthquakes, or even landmines,” Veon CEO Kaan Terzioglu stated.
Starlink in Ukraine
Kyivstar signed its Direct to Cell agreement with Starlink in December 2024, about a year after a major cyberattack disrupted service and caused nearly $100 million in damages, as noted in a report from the Kyiv Independent. Starlink technology has been a pivotal part of Ukraine’s defense against Russia in the ongoing conflict.
“Despite all the challenges of wartime, we continue to develop innovative solutions, because reliable communication under any circumstances and in any location is one of our key priorities. Therefore, this Kyivstar project is an example of effective partnership between the state, business, and technology companies, which opens the way to the future of communication without borders,” Mykhailo Fedorov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, said.
News
SpaceX is rolling out a new feature to Starlink that could be a lifesaver
Starlink now has a new Standby Mode that will enable low-speed internet access in the event of an outage.

SpaceX is rolling out a new feature to Starlink that could be a lifesaver in some instances, but more of a luxury for others.
Starlink is the satellite internet service that Elon Musk’s company SpaceX launched several years ago. It has been adopted by many people at their homes, many airlines on their planes, and many maritime companies on their ships.
It has been a great way for customers to relieve themselves of the contracts and hidden fees of traditional internet service providers.
Now, Starlink is rolling out a new service feature on its units called “Standby Mode,” which is part of Pause Mode. The company notified customers of the change in an email:
“We’re reaching out to you to let you know the Pause feature on your plan has been updated. Pause now includes Standby Mode, which comes with unlimited low-speed data for $5.00 per month, perfect for backup connectivity and emergency use. These updates will take effect in 30 days. All of your other plan features remain the same. You are able to cancel your service at any time for no charge.”
SpaceX did not define how fast these “low speeds” will be. However, there are people who have tested the Standby Mode, and they reported speeds of about 500 kilobytes per second.
The mode is ideal for people who might deal with internet or power outages, but still need to have some sort of internet access.
It could also be used as a backup for people who want to stay with their ISP, but would like to have some sort of alternative in case of an outage for any reason.
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk confirms Tesla AI6 chip is Project Dojo’s successor
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla Model Y L reportedly entered mass production in Giga Shanghai
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla CEO Elon Musk details massive FSD update set for September release
-
Cybertruck2 weeks ago
Tesla’s new upgrade makes the Cybertruck extra-terrestrial
-
News2 weeks ago
Elon Musk reaffirms Tesla Semi mass production in 2026
-
News2 weeks ago
Elon Musk explains why Tesla stepped back from Project Dojo
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla Model 3 filings in China show interesting hardware addition
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla Model Y L’s impressive specs surface in China’s recent MIIT filing