Elon Musk warns that Starship engine crisis creating 'risk of bankruptcy' for SpaceX

Elon Musk has warned SpaceX employees last week that a "crisis" relating to its Starship engines was creating a "risk of bankruptcy".

Musk voiced his displeasure with the lack of progress made by SpaceX in its development of the Raptor engines that power its Starship rocket as he described the dire situation.

"The Raptor production crisis is much worse than it seemed a few weeks ago," Musk said.

"We face genuine risk of bankruptcy if we cannot achieve a Starship flight rate of at least once every two weeks next year."

Musk's email also highlighted the significance of former vice president of propulsion Will Heltsley's departure earlier in November, with Musk stating problems within the programme were found "to be far more severe" than initially thought.