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SpaceX Starship Flight 10 Launch Update #news #spacex #elonmusk · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
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  Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
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  the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
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  Boring Company, and Neurolink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
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  SpaceX plans to fly Starship from Starship's Starbase in
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  Texas. It'll be flight 10, you'll have
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  booster 16, ship 37, and the company aims to execute a full
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  end to end test that covers lift off stage separation, a tower
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  catch of the booster in a controlled re entry, and
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  splashdown of the ship. The flight plan targets a near
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  orbital trajectory that reaches space, gathers that in vacuum
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  and finishes with the plan splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
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  Now the recent test history sets a clear benchmark for what
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  success must look like because each flight closed some gaps and
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  exposed others. Now.
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  Flight 7 in January 2025 returned the booster
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  successfully. Flight 8 in March 2025 and
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  Flight 9 in May 2025 lost the ship before splashdown, and
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  Flight 9 also suffered a loss of attitude control during breakup.
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  Now can Flight 10 complete the entire test profile for the
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  first time? Now Flight 10 sets a precise
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  sequence. Booster 16 will lift off, burn
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  through a set, and separate under hot staging.
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  The booster will flip light engines for return and attempt a
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  tower catch with the mechanical arms known as the chopsticks.
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  Ship 37 will ignite its engines during separation, arc to space
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  in a high velocity path, run in space checks and then perform a
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  guided reentry three that targets a splashdown in the
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  Indian Ocean. The vehicle will carry mass
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  simulators only, which keeps the focus on propulsion guidance and
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  thermal protection rather than payload delivery.
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  Now this is the Block 2 configuration the SpaceX has
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  refined across several flights. Booster 16 stands about 69
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  meters tall and carries 33 Raptor engines that burn liquid
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  methane and liquid oxygen. The booster includes upgraded
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  igniters that address a low power igniter issue seen during
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  a boost back attempt on Flight 7, and the upper section of the
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  booster also carries hot staging hardware with a vented
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  interstage and additional shielding that protects it
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  against the ship's plume during second stage ignition. 4 grid
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  fins in a reinforced structure provides steering authority and
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  strength during ascent and return.
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  Now. SpaceX validated Booster 16 with
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  a full duration 33 engine static fire on June 6th of 2025.
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  The test confirmed engine performance, plumbing integrity,
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  and avionics behavior at scale, and SpaceX removed the booster
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  from the pad for inspections and post test work after the run
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  plan calls for a catch at the launch tower after separation
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  and return. Now, SpaceX also maintains A
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  contingency plan that allows a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico
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  if a catch attempt presents a risk to the pad or the tower.
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  Now let's move on to the ship. Ship 37.
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  It's roughly 50 meters tall and 9 meters in diameter, and it
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  mounts 3 sea level Raptors and three vacuum Raptors.
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  The ship includes A payload Bay door in the nose, which lets
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  SpaceX test mechanisms for future cargo development, even
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  if this flight carries only mass simulators of Starlinks.
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  SpaceX covered the Leeward side of the ship with thousands of
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  heat shield tiles that protect the structure during re entry
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  and the Team Titan tile attachment and spacing based on
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  prior losses to reduce tile shedding.
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  Engineers also added new vents and nitrogen purge system in the
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  aft attic above the engine Bay to prevent propellant buildup
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  and fires that previously destroyed the vehicle.
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  Now the ship completed its cryogenic proof testing back in
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  May on the 29th at Massey's. The vehicle later returned to
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  the pad and ran a single engine static fire for about 6 seconds
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  on July 31st, followed by A6 engine static fire for about 9
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  seconds on August 1st. 2 firings exercise startup transients,
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  throttle profiles and shut down timing under flight load.
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  Flight like loads. SpaceX destacked the ship on
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  August 2nd and brought it back for final inspections and tile
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  work. The ship also rolled back to the
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  booster and will mate when assembly starts.
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  Now hot staging sits at the center of the performance
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  envelope for the stack. SpaceX now lights the ship's
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  engines while the booster is still attached, which keeps
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  acceleration up and reduces velocity loss during separation.
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  The design requires A vented interstage that roots exhaust
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  and reduces pressure spikes. The added shielding protects
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  critical wiring and plumbing inside the booster's upper
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  section. This technique is very complex
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  and in return you get some high performance.
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  And the recent flights proved the mechanical changes can't
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  survive real loads and real engine firings.
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  Now let's go back down to Earth. The pad infrastructure changes
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  enable the lift off environment. The 33 Raptors create SpaceX, of
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  course. There's a water cooled steel
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  plate under the orbital launch mount.
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  It's a deluge inflamed deflector system.
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  The system sprays high volumes of water to dampen acoustic
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  energy and thermal loads at ignition and throttle up.
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  Now the first Starship test in April 2023 completely
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  obliterated the pad and then they redesigned it.
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  The plate in the deluge system now prevent concrete splation
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  and debris in the US Fish and Wildlife Service described the
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  water output as comparable to a heavy rainstorm, and no
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  significant environmental impacts have been seen.
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  Now. Engine and propellant system
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  tuning addresses failures seen in this flight, and SpaceX has
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  traced A harmonic oscillation in propellant lines to conditions
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  that triggered leaks, which engineers reproduce during an
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  extended ground run. Now, harmonic oscillation is
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  another word for crazy vibrations.
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  So there's fuel tubes inside of the ship.
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  It just shook violently and caused leaks.
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  The team modified Raptor vacuum feed hardware, adjusted
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  propellant conditioning, and updated throttle profiles to
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  avoid this resonance. Ship 37 will test these changes
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  under flight loads, and the plan also includes in Space Engine
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  restart checks to collect ignition and thermal data that
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  matter for future orbital burns. Going forward with the next few
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  flights, reusability goals drive the tower catch attempts.
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  In the turn around logic, SpaceX caught the Super Heavy boosters
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  on Flight 7 and 8, which removed salt water corrosion from the
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  refurbishment cycle and cut handling time.
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  SpaceX Reflew Booster 14 on Flight 9, which showed that an
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  inspected and refurbished Super Heavy can fly once again.
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  Flight 10 uses a new booster, though SpaceX designed it for
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  turn around efficiency. SpaceX will not attempt to ship
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  catch on Flight 10 because the program still focuses on
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  validating controlled splashdowns before approaching a
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  landing. Back at the pad, SpaceX has
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  already built a second tower at pad B to stage future ship catch
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  tests. Now preflight preparation
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  included a serious set back the SpaceX absorbed into the
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  schedule. Ship 36, which initially held
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  the Flight 10 slot, exploded during a ground test at the
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  Massey site on June 18th, 2025. The blast occurred as the
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  vehicle neared a static fire ignition sequence and SpaceX
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  traced the cause to a composite overwrapped pressure vessel in
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  the nose cone that failed below rated pressure and triggered the
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  explosion. The test stand was obliterated.
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  It suffered heavy damage, but the area was clear to personnel
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  and no injuries occurred. Luckily, and SpaceX just swapped
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  in ship 37, which already had major tests underway and then
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  advanced that ship through static fires and inspections.
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  Stack integration marks the final sequence before launch.
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  SpaceX will roll booster 16 to the orbital mount and lift Ship
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  37 on top to build the full 120 meter stack.
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  The team may run a wet dress rehearsal, the test full
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  propellant load, countdown logic and interfaces, but most of the
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  time they don't need to. They've already tested the ship
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  and a booster separately, and just putting together they don't
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  really need to do a full test. The team may also run a brief
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  spin prime or short duration check on the fully stacked
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  booster to confirm the quick disconnect and pad systems After
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  recent configurations. SpaceX already removed the
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  temporary static fire adapter from Pad A on August 3rd, which
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  cleared the tower for stacking. Local notices for road and beach
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  closures and maritime hazard zones will bracket the countdown
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  windows near the launch day. Now the test windows depends on
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  regulatory clearance as much as hardware readiness.
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  The FAA required extensive corrective actions after the
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  April 2023 launch damage the pad, which SpaceX satisfied with
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  the new deluge system and other mitigations before subsequent
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  flights. Environmental Groups sued the
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  FAA in March or in May of 2023 over the prior review, and the
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  case continues while the agency maintains strict oversight.
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  The FAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service cleared later
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  flights after additional assessment and monitoring, and
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  debris from Flight 7 stayed within planned corridors.
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  SpaceX coordinated with authorities to recover fragments
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  when necessary and to document any effects on surrounding
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  areas. Now Flight 9.
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  The loss of that ship on May 30th of 2025 triggered a new
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  mishap investigation that must close before Flight 10 can fly.
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  Ship reached space and remained aloft for about 46 minutes, lost
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  attitude control and broke apart during re entry.
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  After saving, the FAA opened an investigation into root causes
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  and corrective actions, which SpaceX must document.
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  Our friends over NASA spaceflight reported on August
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  6th that launch documentation was in preparation for the FAA,
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  and the FCC granted a special temporary authority for SpaceX
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  telemetry for Starship that started on August 4th, which
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  covers communications from the coming flight.
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  Elon Musk said that Flight 9's loss is barely a bump in the
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  road and suggested in mid-july Flight 10 was about 3 weeks away
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  before later saying next month, which points to a late August or
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  early September attempt if approvals arrive in time.
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  So a clean Flight 10 profile would solidify the path for
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  orbital operations. For Starship, the booster must
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  execute a reliable separation, a flip, a nominal boost back, and
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  an accurate catch. The ship must maintain stable
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  guidance after house aging, perform an engine restart in
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  space, protect its structure behind a robust thermal
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  protection system during re entry and splashdown.
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  Intact. The data must confirm that
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  engine throttling avoids destruction oscillations and
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  that leak mitigation works in the aft compartment.
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  The splashdown must occur within the designated hazard area to
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  confirm predictability for future recovery and relocation
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  plans, so the mission also tests the scaffolding behind
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  reusability economics. A reliable catch reduces pad
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  downtime and recovery labor. A survivable reentry with intact
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  structure reduces redesign churn and confirms that the current
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  tile layout and attachment strategy meet requirements.
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  A clean in space restart clears a clear block for true orbital
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  insertion on later flights. Every validated element reduces
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  uncertainty for payload customers and technical partners
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  who need consistent performance profiles and turn around times
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  before committing to missions. Flight 10 asks Starship to bring
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  all the pieces together under 1 profile.
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  The booster must fly out and return to the chopsticks on
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  command ship. Must reach space restart.
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  Engines survive re entry, heating and touchdown in the
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  ocean in one piece. The regulators must sign off
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  that the mitigations from Flight 9 and the Ship 36 accident
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  aligned with safety requirements and the pad must handle the
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  acoustic and thermal blast within design limits.
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  The vehicles must deliver clean telemetry that proves the fixes
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  work. SpaceX prepared the hardware,
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  tuned all the engines, upgraded the pad and queued.
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  The paperwork company now needs a clean countdown and a flight
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  that meets its own checklist. Flight 10 will measure whether
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  the program can stitch together booster recovery and ship
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  survival in the same attempt and keep the runway clear for the
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  first true orbital mission. Hey, thank you so much for
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  listening today. I really do appreciate your
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  support. If you could take a second and
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  support the show even more, go to patreon.com/stage Zero.
• 13:33
  And please take care of yourselves and each other.
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  And I'll see you tomorrow.