SpaceX completes static fire test in push toward third Starship launch

Enlarge / Ship 28 is seen after being moved to SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas. (credit: SpaceX)

Just one month after the second flight of its massive Starship rocket, SpaceX is making progress toward a third attempt.

On Wednesday, at 1:37 pm local time in South Texas, the company performed a static fire test of the next Starship—which bears the serial number Ship 28. The test of the rocket’s six engines appeared to be nominal as the Raptors ignited for a handful of seconds. The rocket and ground support equipment looked undamaged after the test.

Also this week SpaceX rolled the booster to be used for the next attempt—Booster 10—to the launch site at its Starbase facility in South Texas. The vehicle has since been lifted onto the orbital launch mount. Presumably this rocket, too, will undergo a static fire test in the coming days.