SpaceX conducted a static fire of Super Heavy Booster 22 on the morning of Sunday, October 25, at Pad 2 in Starbase, Texas. NASASpaceflight, which streamed the test live, reported that propellant loading began shortly before the firing and posted the static fire shortly after it happened.
What happened
According to the Next Spaceflight hardware tracker, Booster 22 completed a roughly 15-second static fire, with all 33 engines suspected to have lit. SpaceX hadn’t published its own engine count or test results at the time of writing.
The test came quickly: the booster was moved from the production site to the launch site and arrived at Pad 2 on Saturday after an overnight rollout.
Why it matters
Booster 22 is a V3 Super Heavy prototype assigned to Starship Flight 15. Earlier in its campaign it went through a pair of cryogenic proof tests at SpaceX’s Massey site in September. A static fire is one of the last major ground tests before a booster is cleared to fly. Flight 15 is the mission where SpaceX has said it will try to catch both the booster and the ship with the launch tower. SpaceX hasn’t set a launch date.
Sources: NASASpaceflight on X and Next Spaceflight.