News
SpaceX Starship saved by ‘burst disk’ after Raptor static fire ends badly
Around 7:15 pm local time, SpaceX Starship prototype SN8 fired up one or several Raptor engines for the third time ever, catching onlookers – only expected a dress rehearsal – by surprise. An hour later, CEO Elon Musk revealed that SpaceX had effectively lost control of the rocket.
Unfortunately for SpaceX, this is not the first incident in which a fire led to a loss of Starship control. Back in May 2020, Starship serial number 4 (SN4) – the first full-scale prototype to have a Raptor installed – completed its third successful static fire test. Moments later, a vent line adjacent to the engine section caught fire, burning for a minute or two. Ultimately, likely due to destroyed wiring or plumbing, SpaceX seemingly lost control of SN4 and had to wait a full two days for cryogenic propellant to boil off and evaporate before teams could approach the rocket to inspect, repair, and regain control.
Now, more likely than not, Starship SN8 has suffered a similar – but not identical – failure, cutting some level of control. Elon Musk took to Twitter about an hour after the rocket’s third Raptor static fire, revealing that SpaceX had lose control of Starship’s pneumatics, referring to hydraulic systems needed to operate most of the rocket’s valves. For SN8, that meant nothing but bad news.
As cryogenic liquids (and all things in general) warm up, they expand, taking up more volume. To counteract that never-ending process of cryogenic propellant warming up, boiling, and turning to gas, fresh propellant is almost continually loaded while warmer gas is vented, thus maintaining safe tank pressures. If the ability to vent those gases is lost, the ability to maintain safe pressures goes with it.
As Musk noted above, Starship SN8 thankfully – and unexpectedly – had one or several burst disks installed, referring to single-use mechanical valves designed to open (i.e. burst) above a specific pressure. SN8’s nosecone burst disk did just that, bursting to create an outlet for the pressure building inside the rocket and thus preventing the small nose-based liquid oxygen (LOx) tank from exploding.
Unfortunately, the precursor to Starship losing control is a much less positive story. According to Musk, one of the Raptor engines SN8 ignited may have suffered a significant failure, melting one or more critical engine components. It’s unclear how exactly a seemingly contained engine failure evolved into a total loss of Starship hydraulics but it’s safe to say that redundancy will be added and updated designs will be implemented to ensure that a similar failure doesn’t reoccur.
Notably, both unofficial LabPadre and NASASpaceflight.com livestreams clearly showed Starship quite literally dripping molten metal for more than two minutes after the static fire. Whatever the cause of that extremely hot fire, anything that can continuously melt metal for minutes will have almost assuredly ravaged Starship SN8’s aft and the Raptor engines installed therein. It’s nothing short of miraculous that SN8’s main LOx tank wasn’t breached, as well.
Ultimately, SN8 will likely need extensive repairs – and one, two, or even three replacement engines – before it can safely restart testing and proceed towards its 15 km (~9.5 mi) launch debut. Additionally, SpaceX’s lack of valve control likely means that the company will have to wait at least 24+ hours before workers can safely return to the launch pad and begin those inspections and repairs.
Update: The roadblock was removed around 11pm local time and SpaceX workers appear to have already returned to the pad, signifying that Starship SN8 has been fully detanked and is safe to approach. Inspections and repairs will likely begin as soon as possible.
Tesla will increase its Full Self-Driving subscription price, meaning it will eventually be more than the current $99 per month price tag it has right now.
Already stating that the ability to purchase the suite outright will be removed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this week that the Full Self-Driving subscription price would increase when its capabilities improve:
“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD).”
This was an expected change, especially as Tesla has been hinting for some time that it is approaching a feature-complete version of Full Self-Driving that will no longer require driver supervision. However, with the increase, some are concerned that they may be priced out.
$99 per month is already a tough ask for some. While Full Self-Driving is definitely worth it just due to the capabilities, not every driver is ready to add potentially 50 percent to their car payment each month to have it.
While Tesla has not revealed any target price for FSD, it does seem that it will go up to at least $150.
I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve.
The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD). https://t.co/YDKhXN3aaG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, 2026
Additionally, the ability to purchase the suite outright is also being eliminated on February 14, which gives owners another reason to be slightly concerned about whether they will be able to afford to continue paying for Full Self-Driving in any capacity.
Some owners have requested a tiered program, which would allow people to pay for the capabilities they want at a discounted price.
Unsupervised FSD would be the most expensive, and although the company started removing Autopilot from some vehicles, it seems a Supervised FSD suite would still attract people to pay between $49 and $99 per month, as it is very useful.
Tesla will likely release pricing for the Unsupervised suite when it is available, but price increases could still come to the Supervised version as things improve.
This is not the first time Musk has hinted that the price would change with capability improvements, either. He’s been saying it for some time. In 2020, he even said the value of FSD would “probably be somewhere in excess of $100,000.”
The FSD price will continue to rise as the software gets closer to full self-driving capability with regulatory approval. It that point, the value of FSD is probably somewhere in excess of $100,000.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 18, 2020
Tesla has chosen to axe the ability to purchase Full Self-Driving outright from a select group of cars just days after CEO Elon Musk announced the company had plans to eliminate that option in February.
The company is making a clear-cut stand that it will fully transition away from the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that has brought differing opinions throughout the Tesla community.
Earlier this week, the company also announced that it will no longer allow buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving outright when ordering a pre-owned vehicle from inventory. Instead, that will be available for $99 per month, the same price that it costs for everyone else.
The ability to buy the suite for $8,000 for a one-time fee at the time of order has been removed:
NEWS: Tesla no longer allows buyers to purchase FSD outright in the U.S. when ordering a pre-owned vehicle directly from inventory. Tesla now gives you the option to either subscribe for $99/month, or purchase FSD outright after taking delivery (available until February 14th). pic.twitter.com/1xZ0BVG4JB
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 23, 2026
This is a major move because it is the first time Tesla is eliminating the ability to purchase FSD outright for one flat fee to any of its vehicles, at least at the time of purchase.
It is trying to phase out the outright purchase option as much as it can, preparing people for the subscription-based service it will exclusively offer starting on February 14.
In less than a month, it won’t be available on any vehicle, which has truly driven some serious conversation from Tesla owners throughout the community.
There’s a conflict, because many believe that they will now lose the ability to buy FSD and not pay for it monthly, which is an attractive offer. However, others believe, despite paying $8,000 for FSD, that they will have to pay more money on top of that cost to get the unsupervised suite.
Additionally, CEO Elon Musk said that the FSD suite’s subscription price would increase over time as capabilities increase, which is understandable, but is also quite a conflict for those who spent thousands to have what was once promised to them, and now they may have to pay even more money.
News
Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature not available on typical Model Ys
These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.
Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature that is not available on typical Model Ys that people like you and me bring home after we buy them. The feature is something that many have been wanting for years, especially after the company adopted a vision-only approach to self-driving.
After Tesla launched driverless Robotaxi rides to the public earlier this week in Austin, people have been traveling to the Lone Star State in an effort to hopefully snag a ride from one of the few vehicles in the fleet that are now no longer required to have Safety Monitors present.
BREAKING: Tesla launches public Robotaxi rides in Austin with no Safety Monitor
Although only a few of those completely driverless rides are available, there have been some new things seen on these cars that are additions from regular Model Ys, including the presence of one new feature: camera washers.
With the Model Y, there has been a front camera washer, but the other exterior “eyes” have been void of any solution for this. For now, owners are required to clean them manually.
In Austin, Tesla is doing things differently. It is now utilizing camera washers on the side repeater and rear bumper cameras, which will keep the cameras clean and keep operation as smooth and as uninterrupted as possible:
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
Rear Camera Washer on Tesla Robotaxi pic.twitter.com/P9hgGStHmV
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 24, 2026
These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.
This is the first time we are seeing them, so it seems as if Safety Monitors might have been responsible for keeping the lenses clean and unobstructed previously.
However, as Tesla transitions to a fully autonomous self-driving suite and Robotaxi expands to more vehicles in the Robotaxi fleet, it needed to find a way to clean the cameras without any manual intervention, at least for a short period, until they can return for interior and exterior washing.
Tesla to increase Full Self-Driving subscription price: here’s when
Tesla starts removing outright Full Self-Driving purchase option at time of order
