SpaceX has completed static fire testing on Ship 42, the Starship upper stage being prepared for the 15th integrated flight test. In a static fire, the rocket stays bolted to the ground while its engines roar to life, which lets engineers check performance without leaving the pad. Ship 42 went through a full-duration burn using all six of its Raptor engines. It also fired a single Raptor engine to simulate the deorbit burn, the maneuver a ship must perform to come back down safely from space.

The tests are a big step in verifying engine reliability, which matters as SpaceX works toward routine orbital operations and fully reusable rockets. The ship's partner, Booster 22, recently fired all 33 of its Raptor engines for about 15 seconds, so both halves of the Flight 15 rocket have now cleared major ground tests. Elon Musk has said Flight 15 will try the first launch-tower catch of a ship, but SpaceX had not officially confirmed that plan at the time of the latest reports. A launch date has not been locked in either, and Starship schedules are known to shift. For now, the next big question is how quickly the vehicles finish their final checks and stack up for flight.