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SpaceX's latest Starship test was uneventful and that's great news for its flight debut

SpaceX reportedly finished testing its latest Starship tank prototype on March 8th. (NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal)

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5 years ago

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According to Elon Musk, SpaceX has successfully completed its latest Starship prototype test in a uniquely uneventful fashion, great news for the next-generation rocket’s next steps and first flight tests.

The SpaceX CEO revealed the news some 12 hours after the company wrapped up the Starship tank test at its Boca Chica, Texas facilities. Another excellent example of SpaceX’s preferred process of agile development, the test followed just nine days after the Starship SN01 prototype’s first cryogenic test unexpectedly unearthed a design flaw. SpaceX analyzed the results of Starship SN01’s unintentional launch debut and drew up plans to rapidly repurpose a Starship tank initially destined for the SN02 prototype.

By using existing hardware to test an upgraded iteration of the part that destroyed Starship SN01, SpaceX has now effectively retired the risk posed by that prior failure less than two weeks after it occurred. Elon Musk specifically noted that the former SN02 engine section “passed cryo pressure & engine thrust loads,” confirming that there was more to the exceptionally uneventful evening of March 8th than met the eye. While putting on much less of a show for local observers, this particular boring test is a great sign for the next few steps of SpaceX’s Starship development program.

SpaceX’s latest Starship test tank is pictured here shortly after being transported to the launch pad on March 6th. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

Simply put, despite successfully demonstrating that Starship’s improved “thrust puck” and engine section can survive flight-level tank pressures and the thrust of a Raptor engine, one would be hard-pressed to determine as much by inspecting the prototype that managed the feat. Such a visually uneventful test is a first for SpaceX’s post-Starhopper Starship testing, where “before” and “after” photos typically start with a shiny tank and finish with a well-distributed field of steel shrapnel.

Starship SN01 before… (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)
…and after its unintentional February 28th test flight. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)
The Starship SN02 test tank, on the other hand, has quite clearly not burst into shrapnel after its March 8th pressure and load test. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

Musk’s description of the test suggests that SpaceX’s intention with the SN02 test tank – built in just two weeks – was to stress it up to (and likely beyond) the pressures and mechanical stresses Starship engine sections will need to survive in flight. In simpler terms, they likely tried to burst the tank by pressurizing it with liquid nitrogen, a supercool cryogenic fluid. It’s unclear exactly how far SpaceX pushed the tank, but it’s safe to say that it went at least as high as past test tanks, meaning 7-8.5 bar or 100-125 psi. At a bare minimum, a test that failed to reach Starship’s minimum flight pressure of 6 bar (90 psi) would be of dubious value for the actual orbital ship.

A step further, SpaceX installed a hydraulic jack underneath the test tank in a bid to simulate the stresses it would experience with a single Raptor engine. Capable of producing approximately 150-200 tons (1500-2000 kN) of thrust, even Raptor is relatively minor compared to the Starship tank’s likely ~500 metric ton (1.1 million lb) mass. Still, the fact that the SN02 test tank survived the combination of a highly pressurized tank and the simulated thrust of a Raptor engine suggests that SpaceX is now ready for a more successful repeat of Starship SN01 testing.

Confirming those suspicions, Musk subsequently revealed that the Starship prototype integrated immediately after the SN02 test tank will likely attempt the first Raptor static fire tests and may even perform short flights further down the road. As always, SpaceX’s testing programs are fluid and likely to change as new results continuously shape the path forward, meaning that Starship SN03 could easily be destroyed during testing. Starship SN04, said by Musk to be the hopeful candidate for “longer [test] flights,” would thus be repurposed to continue SN03’s test campaign — and so on with SN05, SN06, and beyond.

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Regardless, as the CEO notes, perhaps the most important aspect of all these rapid-fire tests is that SpaceX is quickly building up an impressive Starship production line. Before, during, and after SN02’s test campaign, SpaceX’s South Texas team has been simultaneously fabricating and stacking new steel rings, bulkheads, and noses for the next few Starship prototypes. As a result, Starship SN03’s tank section could be just a week or two away from complete integration, after which SpaceX will likely transport it to the launch pad to prepare for Raptor static fire testing.

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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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Tesla diner’s latest progress includes solar canopies, more charging

Roughly 17 months into the project, Tesla’s LA diner is looking closer than ever, but likely still months from completion.

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6 hours ago

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March 23, 2025

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Credit: AlSet51241438 | X

Tesla has been working on the construction of its unique Los Angeles diner, drive-in theater, and Supercharger project for the past year and a half or so, and a recent update shows the addition of solar canopies as it gets closer to completion.

X user AlSet51241438 shared progress update videos and photos from the Tesla Diner site on Sunday, showing three solar canopies and a nearly completed front parking lot area. Tesla is still working on getting the solar canopies installed and getting those areas of the parking lot paved, while also installing additional V4 stalls in that area that the user says are nearly completed.

You can see the photos and video footage from the site below, and tell us in the comments when you think Tesla will complete the LA Diner.

Credit: AlSet51241438 | X

Credit: AlSet51241438 | X

READ MORE ON TESLA DINER FROM JUNE 2024: Tesla’s LA diner and Supercharger nears nine months of construction

At this time, Tesla has yet to announce any kind of opening date for the diner and Supercharger. However, references to the Supercharger Diner were spotted in internal code for a software update in January, suggesting that Tesla was getting closer to integrating the menu with the company’s vehicles.

The company also began hiring for the diner location in August, posting a role for a “Tesla Diner Experience Specialist,” focused on managing customer experience from content and audio-visual tools to menu reviews and collaborating with design teams.

Tesla initially began construction on the diner and Supercharger location in September 2023, after receiving multiple construction approvals throughout 2022 and 2023. The idea for the Tesla Diner initially came about from a conversation with CEO Elon Musk in 2018, and the company also registered a trademark for its logo to cover restaurant services in 2021.

In the original discussion about the project, Musk said he wanted it to be “an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant” at a new LA Supercharger location. Although the current iteration includes two screens, Musk back then added that the site would include “an outdoor screen that plays a highlight reel of the best scenes in movie history,” along with a food menu that appears “as soon as you put the car into park.”

You can see some of the site plans for the project below, early iterations of which were first filed in 2023.

Credit: City of Los Angeles (via Teslarati)

Tesla’s LA Diner and Supercharger gets its first full drive-in screen

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Tesla Superchargers were over 10 times as reliable as these rivals

Tesla and Rivian topped this charger reliability study, outperforming competitors by a wide margin.

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9 hours ago

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March 23, 2025

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Tesla-supercharger-50000-installations
Credit: Tesla

A new study shows that many electric vehicle (EV) charging networks were substantially less reliable than Tesla’s Superchargers or Rivian’s Adventure Network (RAN), while hardware problems accounted for the most common issue experienced

In a Consumer Reports study shared last week, Tesla and Rivian’s charging networks were found to be significantly more reliable than those of other companies, though EV owners reported a problem with about one out of every five charging sessions initiated overall. Respondents said they had issues with just 4 percent of charging sessions at Tesla’s Superchargers, making them the most reliable, while issues with Rivian’s network were reported for just 5 percent of sessions.

Comparatively, Shell Recharge users faced the most issues, with respondents detailing problems in 48 percent of charging sessions. The next least reliable networks were EVgo and Blink, which followed with 43 percent and 41 percent problems reported, respectively. DC fast-chargers had a reported issue rate of 34 percent, while owners faced problems with Level 2 chargers in 25 percent of sessions.

“The findings show that the public charging experience can vary widely based on the vehicle and the charging networks operating in one’s community and along frequent trips,” writes Drew Toher, Consumer Reports’ Campaign Manager for Sustainable Transportation projects. “This is an important consideration for those without access to home charging. With these findings, CR is encouraging all charging networks to take ownership of their performance and implement measures to improve reliability.”

The survey included responses from 1,230 owners of BEVs and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), detailing experiences from roughly 5,700 individual charging sessions. The majority of issues customers faced were related to hardware, while they also reported problems with payment, charging power, and other factors.

Out of those who said they had issues directly with the chargers, 76 percent said they encountered broken or unresponsive screens, or those with error messages.

Credit: Consumer Reports (graphic by Sharon Seidl)

Credit: Consumer Reports (graphic by Sharon Seidl)

Credit: Consumer Reports (graphic by Sharon Seidl)

Credit: Consumer Reports (graphic by Sharon Seidl)

READ MORE ON EV CHARGING: Tesla Superchargers dominate J.D. Power EV Charging Study

“By calling out broken screens, payment issues, and slow charging power, community members are crowdsourcing data that will hold charging networks accountable and improve drivers’ experience with public charging,” Toher adds. “This will help tackle the biggest impediment for consumers looking to purchase a more efficient vehicle.”

The release also notes that EV owners planning to charge beyond their home can take a few steps to help ensure the best experiences possible, including making accounts for several different charging networks, getting apps like A Better Route Planner, Plugshare, and CR partner Chargeway, and performing battery preconditioning, among others.

Tesla’s Superchargers have repeatedly been found to be the most reliable in markets around the world, and in surveys from Consumer Reports, JD Power, and other auto industry research firms. Rivian has also followed Tesla in taking routine measures to keep owners informed about the reliability of chargers. One such example includes the automaker’s deployment last April of “charging scores” for the RAN network, to help improve customer experiences by directing them to working stations.

Tesla exec highlights advantages of prefabricated Superchargers

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Tesla’s Giga Berlin director responds to anti-Musk criticism

Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin Director weighs in on Elon Musk, sales in Germany, and more: “We focus on what we do best”

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12 hours ago

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March 23, 2025

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Following Tesla’s third anniversary of the opening of its plant in Grünheide, Germany, Tesla’s head of manufacturing for the facility has responded to questions about Elon Musk’s recent political alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump, a potential trade war, struggling sales in Germany, and several other topics.

Andre Thierig, Senior Director of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin, spoke in an interview with German news outlet the Frankfurter Allgemeine this week, noting that the electric vehicle (EV) maker isn’t concerned about the recent political climate surrounding Musk and Trump. Rather, Thierig echoes a goal regularly stated by some of Tesla’s top executives and designers—that the company is simply hyper-focused on making great vehicles.

“We as a company and even more so as a factory location have never positioned ourselves politically,” Thierig said, as translated from German, when asked if the politicization of Musk was harming the brand or factory. “We focus on what we do best, namely to build cars, and very good and very many. For us, this is about production at the site and not in politics. We can separate that well.”

The interviewer also asked about the arson attacks from environmental activists last March, whether or not Tesla is expecting more situations like that, and if the company has taken any measures to increase security given the recent uptick in vandalism and protests worldwide.

Thierig notes that Giga Berlin has “further improved [its] network for sharing relevant information in order to be able to able to respond more quickly” to such attacks. He also says that employees on-site would take action if necessary.

READ MORE ON TESLA GERMANY: Tesla Giga Berlin ramping to optimum production capacity: plant manager

Regarding Tesla’s decline in February sales in Germany, Thierig points to the shift to producing the new refreshed Model Y from the legacy version, which required the factory to shut down production for a few days. He also notes that he can’t directly comment on how many pre-orders Tesla received for the new Model Y, pointing out that his team and the factory were focused on production, instead leaving sales up to the sales division.

“We in the Gigafactory do not sell, we produce,” Thierig explains. “The sales figures are the responsibility of our sales organization. However, we know our production figures and our production planning, and we are currently moving production further high. Our delivery locations here and on the airport site in Neuhardenberg are relatively empty, so the cars are quickly entering the market.”

When asked if he was concerned about incoming tariffs from the Trump administration, Thierig says that the factory increased localization of suppliers with the recent switch to the new Model Y, adding that 92 percent of components for the EV now come from somewhere in Europe.

“This makes us even more resilient to disturbances in world trade,” he adds. “In addition, we have a high level of vertical integration at the site, which has already paid off in recent years. Neither the turbulence in the supply chains during the corona pandemic nor the chip crisis or the war in Ukraine have led to production disruptions in our country.”

The interview also touches on Giga Berlin’s long-awaited expansion plans, recent criticism from union IG Metall, what he expects from the incoming federal government, and how he believes that bureaucracy needs to be reduced in the country, among many other topics still.

Thierig has been with Tesla at Giga Berlin since August 2020, first working as a paint manager, before being promoted to Manufacturing Director and subsequently to Senior Director for the factory in general. Prior to that, Thierig was a 19-year veteran with Ford’s German operations, primarily working in paint engineering.

Tesla shares reservations about Giga Berlin’s revised water contract

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