SpaceX completes six-engine Starship test ahead of Flight 15

(SpaceEnergy) SpaceX has completed a full-duration six-engine firing of its Starship upper stage and a separate single-engine deorbit simulation ahead of Flight 15, the company confirmed on 28 October.

The tests involved Ship 42, the spacecraft intended for the next integrated Starship flight test, and were conducted at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas.

The six-engine static fire tested the upper stage's Raptor propulsion system while the spacecraft remained secured to the ground.

A separate firing of one Raptor engine simulated a deorbit burn, a manoeuvre used to alter a spacecraft's trajectory before atmospheric re-entry.

SpaceX confirmed that both tests had been completed but did not disclose detailed propulsion performance data or announce a launch date.

The upper-stage testing follows the 25 October static fire of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster preparing for Flight 15.

The latest milestone is distinct from that previously reported booster test: it establishes completion of the upper stage's own propulsion test campaign.

Flight 15 is expected to include an attempt to recover both rocket stages using launch-tower catching systems.