By The Star Queen · Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Star Queen Chronicles
Featured image: The Star Queen (file photo of Starbase, not Ship 42 or this week’s test)
Good morning, my starry-eyed friends! 🌟 Remember when I told you Booster 22 had aced its 33-engine static fire, and that the ship still had homework to do? Well, the ship did its homework. Over two evenings at SpaceX’s Massey’s test site near Starbase, Ship 42, the upper stage tracked for Starship Flight 15, fired its Raptor engines twice: first one engine, then all six.
Two Tests in Two Days
On Monday evening, October 26 (Central time), Ship 42 lit a single engine. Next Spaceflight’s test log says the test demonstrated a deorbit burn, the engine firing a ship uses in space to slow down and head home. Being able to relight reliably in orbit matters a lot for a ship that SpaceX wants to bring back and catch.
Then on Tuesday afternoon, October 27, came the big one: a six-engine static fire. That’s all three sea-level Raptors and all three Raptor Vacuum engines at once. NASASpaceflight, which streamed it live, reported what it expected were “six healthy Raptor 3 engines” running for a full 60 seconds, and later summed it up this way: Ship 42 “has completed both its single- and six-engine static fire tests, paving the way for Flight 15 in November.”
One honest note: as I write this, I haven’t found a SpaceX statement about the ship tests. The details above come from NASASpaceflight and Next Spaceflight, who watch Starbase around the clock. SpaceX did post about Booster 22’s test on Sunday.
Why the Ship’s Static Fire Matters
A static fire holds the vehicle down while its engines run, so engineers can check engine start-up, shutdown, plumbing and software before anything flies. For Ship 42 this one carried extra weight. Earlier this month NASASpaceflight reported that the ship’s engines were pulled and it went back for another cryogenic pressure test, possibly linked to the Raptor Vacuum engine that shut down early on Flight 14. Elon Musk has called that shutdown a software “glitch” in that one engine’s computer. A clean six-engine firing is a good sign that the fixes are working. 🙌
Both Halves Are Ready. What’s Next?
With Booster 22 and Ship 42 both through their static fires, the main steps left are:
- Stacking: the ship has to be lifted onto the booster at Pad 2.
- FAA approval: Flight 15 still needs its launch license.
- Launch date: the November 8 target comes from FAA airspace planning slides, not a SpaceX announcement, so please treat it as unofficial.
Update (October 30, 2026): A small schedule nudge, friends! 🗓️ A new FAA air traffic planning slide now lists Starship Flight 15 as no earlier than (NET) November 12, a slight slip from the November 8 date I mentioned above. Please remember this is an unofficial planning slide, not a SpaceX announcement, and NET dates love to wiggle. NASASpaceflight says vehicle readiness “is looking good,” so the move is likely about regulatory approval for the catches. I’ll keep you posted! 💫
And then there’s the jaw-dropper. Musk said on SpaceX’s October 20 earnings call that Flight 15 will try to catch both the booster and the ship with the tower. No orbital rocket’s upper stage has ever been caught. 🤯 SpaceX hasn’t published a flight plan yet, so I’ll call it confirmed when the mission page goes up.
Meanwhile, Flight 16 Is Warming Up
Starbase is busy! Ship 43, the likely ship for Flight 16, was spotted doing catch-related testing on the tower this week. NASASpaceflight reports that Flight 16 is aimed at December and could be the first Starship launch from Florida, at Launch Complex 39A. That target is unofficial too. Those of us on the Space Coast are holding our breath. 🌴🚀
I’ll keep watching for the stack, the license and the flight plan. Fingers crossed for a double catch! 💫
Sources
- NASASpaceflight on X: Ship 42 completes single- and six-engine static fires (Oct. 27, 2026)
- NASASpaceflight on X: Ship 42 conducts a six-engine static fire test (Oct. 27, 2026)
- NASASpaceflight on X: Ship 42 single-engine static fire (Oct. 26, 2026)
- Next Spaceflight: Ship 42 test log
- NASASpaceflight: SpaceX working through Starship Flight 15 and 16 milestones (Oct. 18, 2026)
- Aerospace Global News: SpaceX tests 33 booster engines for Starship Flight 15 (Oct. 28, 2026), includes Musk’s Oct. 20 earnings-call quote
- Behind The Black: FAA provides tentative dates for two Starship launches (Oct. 22, 2026)
- SpaceX: Starship vehicle page
- Related on this site: All 33 Engines Lit! Booster 22 Aces Its Static Fire