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SpaceX’s recent Starship testing challenges don’t worry Elon Musk
In his latest burst of tweets, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he isn’t all that worried about a duo of recent Starship prototype failures and talked next steps for the next few Starships.
Aside from SpaceX’s South Texas rocket factory, Musk also touched on progress being made on the cutting-edge Raptor engine set to power Starships and their boosters, revealing a small production milestone in the process. The CEO says that SpaceX has already begun building its 26th Raptor engine, a sign that Raptors may actually be waiting on Starships in a turn of events. Back when SpaceX was busy testing its low-fidelity Starhopper testbed, the ship actually had to wait several months for the full-scale Raptor engine’s design to mature enough to support 15-30+ second hop tests.
Now, Musk’s Raptor SN26 reveal implies that SpaceX is slowly but surely ramping up production of the new engine back at its Hawthorne, California headquarters.
From August to December 2019, SpaceX completed one Raptor engine every ~17 days, on average. With Musk’s confirmation that SpaceX is currently building (or already testing) SN26, the company is completing an engine every 12-14 days – an overall improvement of 20-40%. In other words, SpaceX’s growing engine production capacity is almost perfectly positioned to support a fleet of suborbital Starship prototypes, which is about where the company’s Boca Chica, Texas factory is today.
Obviously, following two recent full-scale Starship prototype failures spaced barely a month apart, rocket production has a ways to go before it will need the volume of Raptor engines SpaceX appears to already be capable of producing. For the time being, three Raptor engines – having already completed production in Hawthorne and acceptance testing in McGregor, Texas – are quite literally sitting around and gathering dust as they wait for the first Starship prototype qualified to host them.
Once a Starship passes proof testing, SpaceX will be able to install either one or all three engines for an inaugural static fire test, following by a small Starhopper-class hop (no higher than 150m or 500 ft).
However, once SpaceX has explored the full range of testing available to suborbital Starship prototypes, things will change. Likely ending with the first one or several successful ‘skydiver-style’ rocket landing tests, SpaceX will finally be able to seriously think about its first orbital flight tests. To reach orbit and still be capable of returning to Earth and landing softly, Starship will need a Super Heavy booster – set to be the largest rocket booster ever developed by a large margin.
Although Musk has stated that early orbital flight tests will likely launch with far fewer engines, a single Super Heavy booster could eventually require 37 Raptor engines – a full 42% more engines than SpaceX has managed to build in the entire 15+ month history of full-scale Raptor production.
Thankfully, SpaceX’s engine production HQ likely has at least 6-12 months to ramp up production to support fully-outfitted Super Heavy boosters – let alone several. For the time being, each suborbital Starship only needs 3 sea level-optimized Raptor engines, although it’s possible that SpaceX will eventually perform suborbital tests with a full compliment of six engines – including three with much larger vacuum-optimized nozzles.
Ultimately, Musk explained that his lack of concern about recent Starship prototype failures – potentially including any anomalies that follow SN4’s test campaign – comes from the fact that he believes that producing Starships is a much more challenging and pressing concern. Indeed, if your factory can churn out functioning building-sized spacecraft for pennies on the dollar, losing a few during testing is little more than an annoyance. The first failed prototypes can thus be considered learning experiences, helping SpaceX improve designs and optimize the factory and production strategies. SpaceX does still need to prove that its existing approach really can build functioning rockets, but that should (in theory) come with enough trial and error.
Depending on how initial tests go with Starship Serial Number 4 (SN4), likely days away from wrapping up production, Musk says that the first few suborbital Starship tests will likely involve short, low-velocity hops. Those flights will be slow enough that the ship (or ships) wont require aerodynamic control surfaces to complete them, instead relying entirely on smaller thrusters and the thrust vector control (TVC) provided by their three main Raptor engines.
If Starship SN4 testing – including wet dress rehearsals, Raptor static fires, and short hops – goes perfectly, Musk says that Starship SN5 could be the first new ship to have fully-functional flaps installed. If things don’t go quite as well, that milestone could shift to Starship SN6, while SN7 and beyond are obviously on the table in the event of even less forgiving SN4/SN5 testing scenarios. For now, Starship SN4 could be ready to move to the launch pad and kick off a series of critical proof tests a handful of days from now.
Elon Musk
Tesla’s Elon Musk considers insane Cybertruck mod: ‘Maybe we should make this’
The Cybertruck won’t do what the video shows (at least not in our lifetime), but a very entry-level version of it could be developed.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased what could potentially be the company’s next big project, and while it is likely many, many years away, it shows the company truly has its sights set on the craziest things the world has seen.
Musk shared a video created by Grok Imagine, the AI tool that is able to take images and turn them into videos, showing a Cybertruck flying above the clouds and buildings of what appears to be a very futuristic city.
There are also massive robots roaming around in the video, so it is obviously an illustration of what life could look like in several generations.
However, Musk, who does not shy away from some really optimistic projects and goals, shared the video on X and said, “Maybe Tesla should make this.”
Maybe Tesla should make this https://t.co/9ieoqM03Wu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 19, 2025
What is depicted in the video is not what we’d see Tesla create anytime soon. However, the company could potentially engineer something to make the Cybertruck hover, as it plans to do with the Roadster.
Of course, this is likely a huge “if” considering the current state of the car industry. Vehicles are becoming more advanced with every passing day as companies like Tesla, Waymo, and others are working to sort out things like autonomous and driverless travel.
Tesla has been working on somewhat of a similar idea with the Roadster, a vehicle that has been delayed on several occasions because of Musk’s spectacular imagination. Earlier this year, Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, revealed Musk wanted to push the limits of that vehicle even more.
It seems it could be on the way soon, considering Tesla has teased an “epic” demo for the car, which could come before the end of the year.
Tesla has been working to make the Roadster hover, using SpaceX cold gas thrusters. It will also utilize these for what could be an incredibly fast 1.1-second 0-60 MPH acceleration rate that has been teased countless times.
This project that Musk is teasing with the Cybertruck is likely one that we will not see in our lifetimes. However, this is just one example of the outlandish ideas Musk continues to tease for Tesla in the future.
News
Tesla Model Y L addresses one huge complaint from many owners
If you have ever used a wireless charger inside a Tesla or almost any vehicle, for that matter, you will notice that your phone will charge slowly, and it will get extremely hot. This is mostly due to the inherent inefficiency of electromagnetic induction, which is the process that wireless chargers use to transfer energy to the phone.
The new Tesla Model Y L is officially launching in China at a great price and with all of the awesome features of the original model, but with more space. The vehicle is also addressing one huge complaint that many owners have discussed.
The new Model Y L features a more spacious interior, new front seats with adjustable headrests, captains chairs, and mechanical armrests in the second row, and B Pillar air vents for improved circulation.
Tesla Model Y L officially launched: price, features, and more
However, there are some other features that are flying under the radar, including one that addresses a common complaint of many Tesla owners: wireless charging.
If you have ever used a wireless charger inside a Tesla or almost any vehicle, for that matter, you will notice that your phone will charge slowly, and it will get extremely hot. This is mostly due to the inherent inefficiency of electromagnetic induction, which is the process that wireless chargers use to transfer energy to the phone.
The inefficiency is evident in the heat, as that is the lost energy that should be going to the phone, but does not.
To combat this problem, Tesla has rolled out a new feature with the wireless charging mat in the Model Y L.
Tesla has used small slit air vents in the center of the wireless charger, which separates the two pads, to blow cool air on the phones to prevent overheating:
In a first for @Tesla, the new Model Y L has air cooled wireless phone chargers. The charging base has small slit air vents in the center that blows cool air onto your phone to prevent overheating.
The left driver’s side wireless charger now supports up to 50W charging speeds… pic.twitter.com/g6o4XgkYYE
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 19, 2025
This will keep the temperature of your phone down and could prevent the dreaded “iPhone too hot” message that deems your device unusable until it reaches a more stable temperature.
Additionally, Tesla has upgraded the driver’s side wireless charger to support 50W charging speeds. The passenger charger remains at 30W.
This is a small but valuable improvement to the wireless charging apparatus could be a game changer, as there have been so many complaints about this feature in other Tesla vehicles.
News
Tesla Model Y Performance zips around Nurburgring with new features
With the performance, there are some improvements to interior aesthetics, but the goal with this particular trim of Tesla vehicles is to improve performance and aerodynamics, bringing a truly first-class experience to one of the best and fastest vehicles on the road.
The long-awaited Tesla Model Y Performance has been spotted zipping around the famed Nurburgring in Germany, a popular location for new vehicles to test their limits ahead of public release.
Earlier this year, Tesla executives Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy both indicated that the updated and upgraded Model Y Performance would be on its way by the end of 2025, and it appears that time is coming close.
New images captured by Wilco Blok and Teslaplaidtokde on X show the Model Y Performance wrapped in camouflage, sporting a handful of new features as the lightning-fast version of the world’s best-selling vehicle prepares for a launch in various markets across the world:
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- Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram
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- Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram
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- Credit: Wilco Blok on Instagram
New Features
According to Blok and Teslaplaidtokde, the new Model Y Performance will feature a variety of new improvements compared to the past version.
This is something that was expected, as the launch of the new Model Y over the past year has shown various changes that made a great vehicle even better.
With the performance, there are some improvements to interior aesthetics, but the goal with this particular trim of Tesla vehicles is to improve performance and aerodynamics, bringing a truly first-class experience to one of the best and fastest vehicles on the road.
View this post on Instagram
Here’s what was mentioned as changes so far that have been seen on this test mule at Nurburgring:
- New 21″ wheels
- All black headliner, a big change that was included in the Model Y L, the first time a Model Y has had that option
- Updated brakes
- Bucket seats that appear to be similar to the new Model Y L in China
- New Carbon Fiber Spoiler
- Performance Badging
- Changes to both the front and rear bumper
- Suspension with Adaptive Dampers
View this post on Instagram
Expected Performance Metrics
These are not official figures, but this is what is expected based on what has been seen at the Nurburgring:
- 510 horsepower
- 0-60 MPH in 3.2-3.4 seconds
- 280-290 miles of range
- Anticipating the release of a new Track Mode
The previous iteration of the Model Y Performance featured 503 horsepower and a 0-60 MPH of 3.5 seconds. It also had a top speed of 155, which we believe will be improved with the next version of the Y Performance.
Here is some footage of the Model Y Performance running around the Nurburgring ahead of its release:
🚨 The Tesla Model Y Performance appears to have run some spirited laps at the Nurburgring in preparation for its launch https://t.co/PccY2KY2NF pic.twitter.com/Cd1TVwhNZq
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 18, 2025
Tesla has not yet listed any date or timeframe for the Performance variant to be released. However, it is anticipated to be released by the end of 2025.
Tesla’s Elon Musk considers insane Cybertruck mod: ‘Maybe we should make this’
Tesla Model Y L addresses one huge complaint from many owners
Tesla Model Y Performance zips around Nurburgring with new features
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