Elon Musk Reveals Starship Will Fly Next Week, But Employees Say Morale Is Low

In a highly anticipated update, Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship—SpaceX’s massive next-generation rocket—is set to launch as early as next week. This would mark the vehicle’s fourth major test flight and could be a defining moment in SpaceX’s mission to make life multiplanetary.

But behind the scenes, not everything is as optimistic as it seems. Multiple insiders have revealed that employee morale at SpaceX is alarmingly low, casting a shadow over the company’s boldest space ambitions.

A Giant Leap—Or Another Setback?

The upcoming flight will be the fourth attempt to test the full-stack Starship and Super Heavy booster system, following a series of dramatic explosions, partial successes, and data-rich failures. SpaceX has learned from each test, making engineering adjustments and clearing regulatory hurdles with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Musk tweeted earlier this week:

“Starship Flight 4 is targeting launch next week. We’re aiming for full-stage separation and controlled reentry. Getting closer to Mars every day.”

The tweet, as always, generated massive excitement online, with fans, engineers, and space enthusiasts worldwide counting down the days. However, a much different sentiment reportedly exists inside the company’s Texas launch site and its California headquarters.

“Burnout Is Real”: Employees Speak Out

While SpaceX is known for its ambitious work culture and rapid innovation, several current and former employees have come forward, describing long hours, relentless pressure, and growing fatigue within the ranks.

“People are tired. We’re proud of the work, but it feels like we’re running on fumes,” said one engineer from the Starbase team in Boca Chica, Texas, speaking anonymously.

Another employee in Hawthorne, California, added:

“Elon keeps pushing for faster, cheaper, better—and we get it. But at some point, the human cost becomes unsustainable.”

Sources describe a culture where 60–80 hour weeks are considered normal, vacations are rare, and burnout is often dismissed as a personal weakness rather than a systemic issue.

Although SpaceX has not officially responded to claims of low morale, it’s no secret that the company has always had a high-intensity, “work at the edge” reputation. Musk himself once said:

“Nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.”

A Company Under Pressure

The timing of the internal strain is critical. SpaceX is under enormous external pressure to make Starship operational, not just for Mars but also for NASA’s Artemis Program. Starship is set to be the lunar lander for Artemis III, which is aiming to return humans to the Moon in the coming years.

If SpaceX misses too many milestones, it could risk losing NASA’s trust or see timelines for government contracts pushed back. That adds to the internal stress, especially among engineers working under Musk’s famously intense expectations.

“There’s no room for failure, even though failure is technically part of the process,” one staffer explained. “The problem is psychological—it wears you down.”

Signs of Success, But at What Cost?

Despite the internal concerns, the Starship program has achieved remarkable progress in a short time:

Starship is now fully stacked and ready for another integrated flight test.
Ground systems have been upgraded and FAA clearance appears imminent.
Lessons from the previous test flights—especially around hot staging and booster recovery—have been integrated.

Elon Musk remains confident, projecting that Starship will eventually become fully reusable, slashing space travel costs and opening the door to Mars colonization.

But critics argue that the dream may be coming at too high a price for the workforce.

The Bigger Picture

Elon Musk’s companies—from SpaceX to Tesla—have always walked a fine line between visionary brilliance and operational burnout. What makes these companies revolutionary is often the same thing that makes them fragile internally: relentless speed, towering expectations, and a leader who refuses to slow down.

The upcoming Starship flight could become one of the most watched space events of the year. If successful, it will mark a major milestone toward building humanity’s first interplanetary transportation system.

But if the internal struggles continue, even a successful flight might not be enough to hold the team together long-term.

Final Thoughts

As Starship prepares to soar, many at SpaceX are hoping that leadership will also look inward—to rebuild not just rockets, but also resilience and team spirit. Elon Musk’s dreams are huge, but even the biggest rockets need strong foundations, and that includes the people who make them fly.

Whether next week’s flight is a triumph or a trial, it’s clear that the true test of SpaceX’s future may be just as much about its culture as it is about its technology.