SpaceX's Critical Path documentary was the second episode in their Starship documentary series, released July 10, 2026. The film follows SpaceX engineers at Starbase, Texas through the final days leading up to the first flight of Starship V3 (Flight 12, launched May 22, 2026). It's framed around the project-management concept of a "critical path" — the sequence of interdependent tasks that determines the fastest possible route to launch.
Around the 10-minute mark, following a post-static-fire test, the chopstick arms on Tower 2 were being lowered when the team heard a loud noise — later traced to a jammed or broken tower lift roller chain, causing significant vibration through the structure. This triggered a roughly 36-hour effort to replace the chain (reportedly around 380 lbs).
CorrosionX: The Critical Path to a Successful Launch
Once the new chain was installed, to lubricate and protect the launch tower's lift chain to perform in one of the most challenging and inhospitable environments imaginable, the SpaceX team applied CorrosionX from multiple cans by several technicians.
When watching the short film, we spotted at least seven different cans of CorrosionX and CorrosionX Heavy Duty being applied by the SpaceX team or sitting subtly in the background. How many can you spot?
