Starship: SpaceX Completes Static Fire of Super Heavy Booster 19

After initial issues related to the new third-generation hardware (V3), SpaceX appears to be eager to make up for lost time and perform the twelfth launch of the large reusable Starship rocket in the first half of May. Just a few hours ago, a complete static fire was conducted for the upper stage Ship 39 (with three atmospheric Raptor 3 engines and three vacuum-optimized Raptor 3 engines), showing promising results for an upcoming launch.

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April 16, 2026

Elon Musk's company was also ready to perform a static fire for Super Heavy Booster 19, which uses 33 atmospheric Raptor 3 engines. Initially, SpaceX had used an incomplete configuration for the engines to test both the hardware and ground systems without risking damage to new boosters. Moreover, it should be noted that the upcoming launch will utilize Pad 2 of Starbase (Boca Chica, Texas) for the first time. Given the uncertainties, the company's cautious approach is entirely normal.

Starship: Super Heavy Completes Static Fire

In the early hours of yesterday (Italian time), Super Heavy Booster 19 completed a static fire with all 33 Raptor 3 engines, demonstrating the capabilities of the boosters, which are expected to provide greater thrust, improved specific impulse, and a simplified structure that reduces the hardware mass and thermal protection issues for the lower part of the first stage.

Now that both Super Heavy Booster 19 and Ship 39 have completed a static fire, once the data is rechecked and deemed favorable, thoughts will turn to a launch of Starship in early May. The next steps should be a pad inspection after the test, a hardware check, and finally a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) to ensure everything is ready for the inaugural launch of the third generation.

Let's remember that this launch will be the first for the third-generation hardware and will, once again, be suborbital. The aim is to determine whether the two stages can complete their operations as planned, potentially not recovering components that will be made to land in the ocean.

During the thirteenth launch, a recovery of Super Heavy with Mechazilla from Pad 2 may take place, while the fourteenth launch will consider the first recovery of Ship. This will also mark the first orbital launch of Starship, but everything must proceed as planned; otherwise, we could face new delays for SpaceX's program.

The U.S. company aims to operationalize Starship as soon as possible to initiate the deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, thereby increasing both its constellation and overall performance. But that's not all. In fact, this spacecraft will serve as the base for future lunar landers for the Artemis IV and Artemis V missions, which will return humans to the lunar surface not before early 2028.

An initial test is expected by mid-next year, using an Orion spacecraft and a human crew in low Earth orbit. Subsequently, there should be another test with a Starship HLS (Human Landing System) landing without a crew. Finally, there will be the actual mission, whose timing is, however, very uncertain due to challenges that need to be addressed.