SpaceX Fires Super Heavy Booster 22 Ahead of Starship Flight 15

SpaceX has started the final run-up to the next Starship launch. On Sunday, Oct. 25, the Super Heavy booster assigned to Flight Test 15, Booster 22, ignited all 33 of its Raptor 3 engines for about 15 seconds in a static fire test. The company described it on X as a full-duration test.

The firing opens a series of final checks on the first stage. The booster will later be paired with the Flight 15 upper stage, Ship 42, which still has its own tests ahead, including a static engine fire and final systems checks.

A ship catch on the table

Elon Musk has said SpaceX will try the first tower catch of a Starship upper stage on Flight 15. If it works, it would be a major step toward the company's goal of full reusability.

Confidence has been building after three launches in 2026. The latest, Flight 14 on Sept. 28, reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational payloads Starship has delivered. Those satellites are too large for Falcon 9.

The flight had problems, though. An upper-stage Raptor engine shut down early during ascent, so SpaceX cut the planned 10-hour mission short. The ship still made a controlled reentry and splashed down in the Pacific about three hours after liftoff.

Why it matters

SpaceX has not officially confirmed Flight 15's payload, though it could carry another batch of V3 Starlinks. Upgrading its global network with those satellites is a major reason for pushing Starship into regular service.

The vehicle also matters for NASA's Artemis program, which has contracted SpaceX for a modified Ship to land astronauts on the moon. NASA recently updated the milestones SpaceX must meet before a lunar lander version can carry crews. Artemis III, planned for next summer, will send astronauts to Earth orbit to dock with both lunar landers, Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon.

Beyond Flight 15, SpaceX hopes to achieve Starship's first launch from Florida and possibly the first reflight of an upgraded V3 Super Heavy booster before the end of 2026. Based on recent campaigns, Flight 15 could lift off in mid-to-late November.