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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.
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck, and nobody noticed. But to be fair, nobody could have, but it was revealed by the program’s lead engineer that it was aimed toward simplifying manufacturing through a minor change in casting.
After the Cybertruck was given a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for its reputation as the safest pickup on the market, some wondered what had changed about the vehicle.
Tesla makes changes to its vehicles routinely through Over-the-Air software updates, but aesthetic changes are relatively rare. Vehicles go through refreshes every few years, as the Model 3 and Model Y did earlier this year. However, the Cybertruck is one of the vehicles that has not changed much since its launch in late 2023, but it has gone through some minor changes.
Most recently, Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck program’s Lead Engineer, stated that the company had made a minor change to the casting of the all-electric pickup for manufacturing purposes. This change took place in April:
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
The change is among the most subtle that can be made, but it makes a massive difference in manufacturing efficiency, build quality, and scalability.
Morrill revealed Tesla’s internal testing showed no difference in crash testing results performed by the IIHS.
The 2025 Cybertruck received stellar ratings in each of the required testing scenarios and categories. The Top Safety Pick+ award is only given if it excels in rigorous crash tests. This requires ‘Good’ ratings in updated small and moderate overlap front, side, roof, and head restraints.
Additionally, it must have advanced front crash prevention in both day and night. Most importantly, the vehicle must have a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights standard on all trims, with the “+ ” specifically demanding the toughest new updated moderate overlap test that checks rear-seat passenger protection alongside driver safety.
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
