SpaceX fires up Starship upper stage ahead of landmark Flight 15 test launch (video)

SpaceX has conducted static-fire tests with the upper stage of its Starship, known as Ship 42, ahead of the company's 15th Starship test flight, which is expected to occur in November. The Ship 42 underwent a full-duration, six-engine static fire on October 27, 2026, and performed a single Raptor engine firing to simulate a deorbit burn, as reported by SpaceX on X. This follows a successful six-engine static fire with the Starship Super Heavy first stage, Booster 22, on October 26, 2026.

All indications are that SpaceX is on track for Flight 15, with Musk stating that the launch is targeted for November. This test flight will be especially noteworthy as SpaceX plans to attempt simultaneous captures of both the Starship and Super Heavy during the launch, using the launch tower's chopstick arms. This recovery strategy could significantly increase launch cadences, as Super Heavy and Ship will be ready for reflight much faster.

Starship, unlike its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy counterparts, is fully reusable. SpaceX has already achieved a historic milestone with Starship, as the megarocket reached orbit for the first time on Flight 14, which took place on September 28, 2026. Additionally, Ship deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites during that flight, initiating the assembly of a new broadband constellation that Musk aims to eventually consist of 100,000 spacecraft.

This new constellation, known as Starmind, will be significantly larger than any previous Starlink deployment and will host one million of SpaceX's AI data center satellites.