SpaceX's Next Starship Completes Static Fire Test as Flight 13 Approaches

SpaceX has completed a key test on the next upper stage of its Starship megarocket, moving one step closer to the vehicle's 13th flight test.

On June 26, SpaceX posted video of the test on X. Ship 40, the upper stage slated for Starship Flight 13, was transported to the Massey test site at SpaceX's Starbase facilities in Texas, where it performed a full-duration static fire of one of its central Raptor 3 engines. The burn lasted approximately 15 seconds.

Ship 40 is equipped with six Raptor 3 engines — three sea-level variants and three vacuum-optimized versions. All six ignite during ascent, but only a single sea-level engine is used during the final landing burn.

Version 3: The Most Powerful Starship Yet

Ship 40 will fly aboard Starship's 13th overall test flight. The Version 3 (V3) variant debuted on May 22 this year and represents the largest and most powerful iteration of the launch vehicle to date. It is also the first to sport SpaceX's new Raptor 3 engines.

Despite a few malfunctions during the V3 debut — including the Super Heavy booster's failure to execute a planned soft ocean splashdown — SpaceX deemed the launch a successful test of the upgraded systems. In addition to the full complement of Raptor 3 engines, V3 features enhanced aerodynamic grid fins, refined thermal protection, increased fuel capacity, and docking nodes to facilitate propellant transfer in orbit.

In-Orbit Refueling Is the Key

The ability to refuel in orbit is critical to Starship's future. Currently, the vehicle can reach low Earth orbit (LEO) on its onboard fuel supply, but it cannot travel much farther without additional fuel delivered by separate Starship launches. This capability has yet to be demonstrated, though SpaceX expects to change that this year.

NASA has contracted SpaceX to provide Starship as the landing system for its Artemis program. According to NASA, the first crewed lunar landing mission, Artemis 4, will require at least 15 refueling flights and is currently scheduled for late 2028. Before that, Artemis 3 will see astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft dock with Starship for practice maneuvers, but that mission is not expected to require in-orbit refueling.

SpaceX has not yet released details about Flight 13, but the mission is expected to launch before the end of summer.