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A video of Elon Musk playing Diablo IV carried an unexpected soundtrack: an unidentified SpaceX engineer briefing him about Starship Flight 5. TechCrunch reported that the engineer described a landing-sequence issue that came close to triggering an abort, as well as a cover that reportedly tore away above critical valves. Those details came from the clip’s reported audio—not from SpaceX’s public flight update. SpaceX separately confirmed that Flight 5’s Super Heavy booster was caught by the launch tower on October 13, 2024.
What did the background audio reveal?
In a report published October 25, 2024, TechCrunch said the clip showed Musk playing Diablo IV while an unidentified SpaceX engineer briefed him about a recent Starship test. Reuters reporter Joey Roulette flagged the clip, according to TechCrunch. The report did not establish whether the briefing took place on the day the video was posted.
A component issue reportedly came close to an abort
The engineer reportedly described a misconfigured component that did not have the correct ramp-up time for bringing up spin pressure. The engineer said: “We were one second away from that tripping and telling the rocket to abort and try to crash into the ground next to the tower.”
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A cover reportedly came off above landing-burn valves
The engineer also described a cover ripping off during the Super Heavy booster’s descent, over valves the engineer characterized as single-point failures during the landing burn. The report says the valves were not damaged and that a plan existed to address the cover issue. It does not establish that the detached cover damaged the valves.
Which Starship flight was being discussed?
The discussion concerned Starship’s fifth integrated flight test, known as Flight 5, which took place on October 13, 2024. SpaceX’s Flight 5 update described the planned Super Heavy return to the launch site and catch by the tower, and reported that the catch succeeded.
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The FAA’s Starship project activity archive records that SpaceX applied to modify its vehicle operator license for the Flight 5 mission profile at Boca Chica, Texas. The FAA signed its written re-evaluation on October 12, the day before the test flight. That documents regulatory context for the mission; it does not corroborate the briefing or the reported near-abort.
How do the reported problems fit with the successful catch?
There is no contradiction in saying the flight achieved its headline objective while an engineer reportedly described problems during the landing sequence. The success of the booster catch is documented in SpaceX’s public update; the near-abort and ripped-cover details are reported speech from an unnamed engineer. The available reporting supplies no quantified risk estimate to compare with the successful outcome.
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TechCrunch also reported that a second, unnamed engineer discussed balancing speed with risk mitigation ahead of the next flight. The report quoted Musk reacting with “Wow,” “Yikes,” and later “Ok.” Those brief responses do not establish what he understood or how closely he was following the briefing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the clip does—and does not—establish
- It does establish what was reported: background audio in the clip included an engineering briefing, and TechCrunch attributed the near-abort and cover account to an unidentified SpaceX engineer.
- It does not identify the speaker: TechCrunch did not name the engineer or specify a role beyond identifying the person as a SpaceX engineer.
- It does not date the briefing: the report said it was unclear whether the conversation happened on the day the video was posted.
- It does not turn “one second” into a statistic: the phrase belongs to the engineer’s reported description, not a published probability or independently verified measurement.
- It does not show the valves were damaged: the report says they were not.
Flight 5 and the clip are historical events from October 2024, not a description of the current Starship test schedule. SpaceX’s updates page includes later flight material as well as historical updates, so the Flight 5 entry should be read in its original chronology.
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