Engine tests done: SpaceX aims to catch Starship's ship for the first time on Flight 15
Starship's Ship 42 upper stage has completed its static fire tests. On the next test flight, targeted for November, SpaceX wants to catch both the booster and the ship.
Symbolic image · Photo: Jared Krahn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
SpaceX has completed static fire tests of Starship's Ship 42 upper stage for the rocket's 15th test flight. “Ship 42 static fires complete,” the company said on X. The Raptor engines fired on Oct. 26 and 27 while the vehicle remained anchored to the ground, including a full-duration test with all six engines. A single-engine firing was also meant to simulate a deorbit burn.
Ship 42 is to fly with Super Heavy Booster 22, which earlier completed a 33-engine static fire. Chief Executive Elon Musk said SpaceX will try to catch both the ship and the booster on this flight, pending regulatory approval. SpaceX has caught Super Heavy boosters on three previous test flights but has not yet attempted to catch a ship. No specific launch date has been set; Musk has said the flight is targeted for November.