Elon Musk recently anticipated that 2022 will be full of news for SpaceX which is planning several launches for Starship. Behind the façade declarations, however, there is a very delicate situation. According to what emerged online today, in fact, Musk would have expressed several concerns about the future of the company in a mail sent to employees on the occasion of the Thanksgiving holidays.
Musk points out SpaceX’s problems
In this email, Musk focuses on Raptor engine production crisis, an essential component of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft. According to what Musk wrote, the engine problems would be more serious than expected. The previous management (former division vice president Will Heltsley was recently removed from office) would have hidden the real problems of the Raptor that could affect future SpaceX missions.
Bankruptcy risk
Musk points out that SpaceX today faces a real risk of bankruptcy. 2022 will be a pivotal year. SpaceX must be able to achieve a very high flight frequency (at least one every two weeks) in order to make its business sustainable. If the problems with the Raptor persist, however, the specter of bankruptcy would become a real threat. We will see, over the next few weeks, if the information that emerged today will be followed up. Musk, for the moment, has not commented on the news.
You can check out Musk’s full letter in the article published by Space Explored.