SpaceX fires up Starship upper stage ahead of landmark Flight 15 test launch (video)

A static-fire test is a ground test in which a rocket ignites its engines without lifting off. The vehicle stays secured to the launch stand or test area. This lets engineers examine the engines and related systems under real firing conditions. It matters because problems can be found before launch.

For Ship 42, SpaceX performed a full-duration firing with all six Raptor engines. It also fired one Raptor separately to simulate a deorbit burn. The tests happened on October 26 and 27, while Ship 42 remained anchored to the ground. The company described both tests as complete.

The tests support preparations for Starship’s Flight 15. They followed a successful 33-engine static fire with Booster 22, the flight’s Super Heavy first stage. The article says the vehicle appeared on track for a November launch target, though SpaceX still needed regulatory approval for its planned recovery attempts.

Ship 42 completed two different engine tests before Flight 15. First, it performed a full-duration static fire using all six of its Raptor engines. Then, SpaceX fired one Raptor separately. The vehicle stayed anchored during both tests, so it did not launch.

The six-engine test checked the upper stage operating with its complete engine set under firing conditions. The separate test represented a deorbit burn, a maneuver used to change a spacecraft’s path so it can leave orbit. Testing these activities on the ground gives SpaceX an opportunity to verify performance before flight.

SpaceX announced that both tests were complete on October 28. Ship 42 is the Starship upper stage assigned to Flight 15. Its tests followed Booster 22’s successful 33-engine static fire, leaving both stages tested as SpaceX prepared for a possible November launch.

Starship uses a very large propulsion system spread across two stages. The article identifies six Raptor engines on Ship, the upper stage, and 33 engines on Super Heavy, the first stage. Together, those listed stages contain 39 engines for the Flight 15 vehicle, although each stage fires at a different part of the mission.

Ship 42’s test used all six of its Raptors at once during a full-duration static fire. Booster 22 later completed a static fire involving all 33 of its engines. That makes Super Heavy’s engine count 5.5 times Ship’s count, or 27 engines greater.

The comparison shows how propulsion is divided between the stages. Super Heavy needs its larger engine group to serve as the launch vehicle’s first stage. Ship uses six engines after separation. The article reports both tests as successful steps toward Flight 15, targeted for November.

Starship is a two-stage launch system. Super Heavy is the first stage, the lower booster that starts the vehicle moving from the launch site. Ship is the upper stage, which continues flying after separation. Using two stages lets the launch vehicle divide the work of leaving the ground and continuing the mission.

The article identifies Booster 22 as the Super Heavy first stage for Flight 15. It completed a static fire with 33 engines. Ship 42 is the upper stage for that flight, and it completed a full-duration test with six Raptors. These tests fired the engines while the stages stayed anchored.

After Flight 14 reached orbit, Ship deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX plans to use Starship for many future satellite launches. The company also wants to catch both stages during Flight 15, using the launch tower’s chopstick arms to support faster recovery and reuse.

A deorbit burn is a controlled engine firing that changes a spacecraft’s path, usually lowering its orbit so it can begin returning toward Earth. It is an important maneuver because a spacecraft must control where and how it leaves orbit. The article does not describe Ship 42’s exact return plan, but it identifies the test as a deorbit-burn simulation.

SpaceX fired one Raptor on Ship 42 to represent that maneuver. This was separate from the full-duration firing of all six engines. Testing one engine in this way gives the company a ground-based check of the propulsion event before the vehicle attempts Flight 15.

The single-engine test was completed alongside the six-engine static fire on October 26 and 27. Flight 15 was targeted for November, pending preparations and regulatory approval. SpaceX also hoped to catch Ship and Super Heavy after the flight using the launch tower’s chopstick arms.

SpaceX wants the launch tower to catch both Starship stages after Flight 15. Its chopstick arms would grab Ship and Super Heavy instead of leaving the stages to be recovered by another method. The goal is to bring the stages back quickly and make them available for another flight.

The company has already caught Super Heavy on three Starship test flights. It has not yet attempted to capture Ship. A double catch would therefore extend an existing recovery capability to both parts of the vehicle. SpaceX would use the tower’s arms at Starbase in South Texas, its launch and manufacturing hub.

SpaceX says this strategy would reduce the time needed to prepare Ship and Super Heavy for reflight. Faster turnaround could significantly increase launch cadence. The company describes double catches as the intended norm for operational Starship launches, provided the plan works and receives regulatory approval.

Large satellite networks require many launches, so a reusable rocket must return to service quickly. If stages can fly again without lengthy recovery and preparation, one launch system can support more missions. SpaceX says its Starship recovery plan is designed to shorten the time before reflight and increase launch cadence.

The planned mechanism is a pair of tower catches. Chopstick arms would catch both Super Heavy and Ship at Starbase. SpaceX has caught Super Heavy three times, but it has not yet tried to catch Ship. The company says double catches would become standard for operational Starship launches if development proceeds as planned.

Starship has already reached orbit on Flight 14 and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX expects Starlink V3 missions to form a significant share of future launches. It also plans an even larger Starmind constellation, potentially containing one million AI data center satellites.