SpaceX ignited all 33 Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy booster designated Booster 22 during a full-duration static fire on Sunday, October 25, at its Starbase site in South Texas. The engines fired for about 15 seconds as the booster prepares for Starship Flight Test 15. The company announced the test on X, describing it as a full-duration 33-engine static fire for the booster preparing for Flight 15.
The test marks the start of final checks on the first-stage vehicle. Booster 22 will be mated with the Flight 15 upper stage, Ship 42, once both have completed their own testing. Ship 42 is scheduled to undergo a static engine fire and final systems checks as the launch approaches. Together, these steps form the last phase of preparation before the mission.
Flight 15 carries particular significance because SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the company will attempt the first launch tower catch of a ship upper stage on that flight. A successful catch would be a significant step toward the company's goal of making Starship fully reusable. SpaceX has also been building confidence in its ability to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the ship stage this year.
The company has already flown three Starship missions in 2026. The most recent, Flight 14, launched on September 28 and reached orbit for the first time. During that mission, the spacecraft deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, which were the first operational payloads the vehicle delivered to orbit. The V3 satellites are too large to fit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which is one reason the company is pushing to bring Starship into regular service.
Flight 14 was not without problems. An upper-stage Raptor engine shut down early during ascent, and SpaceX cut the planned 10-hour mission short. Even so, the ship completed a controlled reentry and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean about three hours after liftoff. Flight 15 could carry another batch of V3 Starlink satellites, although SpaceX has not officially confirmed its payload. Upgrading its global Starlink network with the faster V3 satellites is a major motivation for the company's Starship program.
Starship development also has implications for NASA's Artemis program. NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop a modified Ship upper stage capable of landing astronauts on the lunar surface. NASA recently updated the list of milestones SpaceX must meet before a lunar lander version can qualify to carry crews. A significant demonstration mission is planned for next summer on Artemis III. In that mission, Orion will launch astronauts into Earth orbit and dock with both lunar landers over about two weeks. NASA has also contracted Blue Origin's Blue Moon spacecraft as a second lunar lander for the program.
SpaceX is working toward an uncrewed lunar landing demonstration ahead of NASA's planned return of astronauts to the Moon on Artemis IV, which is targeted for 2028. The lander for that mission has not been decided, and SpaceX and Blue Origin are both competing for the first crewed Artemis landing. Beyond Flight 15, SpaceX hopes to reach further milestones before the end of 2026, including Starship's first launch from Florida and potentially the first reflight of an upgraded V3 Super Heavy booster.
Booster 22's engine test is the first in a series of checks leading to Flight 15. If recent Starship campaigns are any guide, the launch could take place in mid-to-late November.
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