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SpaceX clears next Starship V3 milestone with full-duration Raptor 3 static fire ahead of Flight 12

SpaceX has conducted a successful full-duration static fire on Starship V3, firing all 33 Raptor 3 engines on the updated vehicle. The test—including upper-stage (Ship) static-fire activity—is framed as a key step toward the next Starship test flight later in May.

Discovered 2026-04-15T00:55:55.806636-07:00 | 2026-04-15T00:55:55.806636-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

A successful full-duration static fire of all 33 Raptor 3 engines is a high-signal indicator that Starship V3 and its integrated flight test configuration are progressing toward the next test campaign milestone—continuing the cadence discussed in SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May.
This updates the program status for Ship 39’s preflight ground milestones and confirms that the vehicle is advancing from component/system checks to a broader end-to-end readiness posture highlighted in SpaceX Starship Ship 39 advances through Massey preflight tests ahead of Flight 12 and earlier rollout work at Masseys in SpaceX rolls Starship Ship 39 out of Mega Bay 2 to Masseys for initial testing.
Operationally, each Starship test iteration changes the near-term launch manifest and supports the broader LEO access trajectory—where maintaining a high launch cadence is coupled with ongoing attention to orbital environment risks referenced by prior Starlink debris reporting, such as Starlink satellite 34343 fractures at ~560 km after loss of contact.

Reported By

Space Explored dailygeekshow.com cosmicchroniclesnews.com newspaceeconomy.ca Space.com numerama.com