SpaceX has completed a full-duration 33-engine static fire with the Super Heavy booster preparing for Starship Flight 14. The company posted two pad videos on Friday evening, 28 August, and labelled the test a full-duration firing of all 33 Raptors.
The Last Big Ground Test
Booster 21 will be the V3 Super Heavy paired with Ship 41 for Integrated Flight Test 14. The ground test took place on Pad 2 at Starbase on Friday, 28 August, with a burn time of roughly 15 seconds. SpaceX confirmed that all 33 Raptor engines ran during the test burn, giving good signs for the next steps.
That is the test we were waiting on after Booster 21 rolled to Pad 2 on just a few days earlier, on 25 August. NASA Spaceflight livestreamed the transfer as a move out for static-fire testing, and cryogenic proof at Massey’s Outpost had already finished in July.
Starship Flight 14: Booster 21 lift!https://t.co/HSumkyMfYU pic.twitter.com/GrHmmtftw6
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) August 25, 2026A static fire holds the vehicle on the mount and runs the engines through a flight-like burn. For Super Heavy, this is usually the last major ground test before the stack.
Ship 41 is Already Done
Ship 41 finished its engine work last week: a single-engine deorbit demonstration, then a full-duration 60-second static fire with all six Raptor engines. With both vehicles having conducted their static-fire testing, the only item on the checklist remains the stacking of Starship on Super Heavy.
Flight 14 is expected to be Starship’s first orbital flight, with Starlink V3 satellites headed for a usable orbit rather than the suborbital demonstration on Flight 13. Musk said on 20 August that a tower catch of the ship is probably a few months away, and this test does not change that.
Stacking is Next
SpaceX has not published a launch date quite yet. Earlier briefings pointed to mid-September as an advisory window, and Next Spaceflight still lists Flight 14 as NET September 2026. Stacking Booster 21 with Ship 41 is the obvious next hardware step at Pad 2.
You can read more about the rollout here: Super Heavy Booster 21 Rolls to Pad 2 for Flight 14.
For the broader test objectives, see Starship Flight 14: What to Expect From SpaceX’s Next Test.
