Starship Booster 21 Static-Fire Test Scheduled for August 28, 2026

SpaceX will conduct a full-duration static-fire test of Super Heavy Booster 21 on August 28, 2026 at Starbase, Texas. All 33 Raptor engines will fire for roughly 15 seconds while the vehicle remains secured to Pad 2. Completion is intended to clear the final major ground-test hurdle before stacking Booster 21 with the Starship upper stage for Flight 14’s orbital attempt.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14 Space.comBooster 21 Arrives at Starbase as Flight 14 Preparations Continu Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight

The static-fire follows a cadence of engine checks: a single-engine ignition on August 20, a six-engine test on August 21, and “chopsticks” lift-and-lower operations on August 29 that simulated the tower-catch mechanism. The upper stage, Ship 41, completed a single-engine deorbit-burn demonstration on August 19 and a six-engine, 60-second static fire on August 21.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

Flight 13, on July 24, deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites on a sub-orbital trajectory and achieved SpaceX’s softest booster splash-down to date. Flight 14 will attempt a sustained Earth orbit and deliver an operational payload of roughly 20 Starlink V3 satellites.

Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight Space.comStarship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14 Booster 21 Arrives at Starbase as Flight 14 Preparations Continu

• July 24, 2026: Flight 13 sub-orbital deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites.

Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight

• August 19, 2026: Ship 41 single-engine deorbit-burn demonstration.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• August 20, 2026: Booster 21 single-engine static fire (scheduled).

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• August 21, 2026: Booster 21 six-engine static fire; Ship 41 six-engine static fire (scheduled).

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• August 28, 2026: Planned full-duration static fire of Booster 21 (scheduled).

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• August 29, 2026: “Chopsticks” lift-and-lower test of Booster 21 (occurred).

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• Early-to-mid September 2026: Target launch window for Flight 14, pending stacking and FAA approval.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• Engines: 33 Raptor engines on Super Heavy Booster 21.

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• Burn duration: Approximately 15 seconds for the full-duration test.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• Payload: ~20 Starlink V3 satellites, each offering ten-times the broadband capacity of earlier generations.

Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight

• Capacity increase: Roughly 20-fold more satellites per Starship flight compared with Falcon 9 launches.

Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight

SpaceX announced on X that the upcoming test is a “full duration 33-engine static fire with the Super Heavy booster preparing for Flight 14.” The company also indicated that a launch-tower catch of the Starship upper stage, originally slated for Flight 14, has been postponed, though a Super Heavy booster catch remains a possibility.

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UBS analysts noted in August that Flight 14 could simultaneously demonstrate orbital capability, operational payload deployment, and rapid reusability, marking a watershed moment for SpaceX’s commercial roadmap.

Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight

Flight 14 is set to be the first Starship mission to achieve a true orbital trajectory and release a commercial payload. Demonstrating orbital insertion, payload deployment, and booster recovery in a single flight would validate SpaceX’s vision of a fully reusable, high-capacity launch system, potentially reshaping satellite-constellation economics and accelerating broader solar-system exploration plans.

Starship Booster 21 completes final test before first orbital flight Space.comStarship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14 Booster 21 Arrives at Starbase as Flight 14 Preparations Continu

• Test status: Some outlets describe the August 28 static fire as already completed, while the date ledger lists it as “scheduled,” indicating the test had not yet occurred at the time of reporting.

Booster 21 Arrives at Starbase as Flight 14 Preparations Continu

• Catch mechanism: Elon Musk suggested a launch-tower catch for the upper stage, yet later reporting indicates this element has been delayed, leaving the status of the Starship catch uncertain.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

• Launch date: No official launch date has been announced; the early-to-mid September window remains a projection contingent on stacking progress and FAA licensing.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14

If stacking and the Federal Aviation Administration’s review proceed on schedule, an early-to-mid September launch attempt for Flight 14 is plausible. SpaceX has not set a definitive launch date, and further updates are expected as the booster is rolled back to the production site and final pre-flight checks are completed.

Starship Booster 21 Fires All 33 Engines Ahead of Flight 14