SpaceX performs another static fire test on Starship SN11, high-altitude flight coming today (scrubbed)

-

-Advertisement-

Starship SN11 prototype was not able to liftoff after the 1st static fire test besides the planned high-altitude test earlier this week. The delay basically happened due to one of the Raptor engines on SN11 was required to be swapped after the previous static fire.

The new Raptor engine #SN46 was installed onto the Starship SN11 on Wednesday night and today it went through a successful static fire test.

Tesla Accessories by EVANNEX.
– Sponsored –

Local Starship observer Mary(@BocaChicaGal) living in the nearby Boca Chica village has just informed that she has received a government alert to empty the village. This usually means that SpaceX is actually preparing for a Starship high-altitude flight and landing test.

Meanwhile, Cameron County judge Trevino Jr. has ordered a temporary closure of the Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 in light of public safety. The closure starts from morning 7:30 am to 7:00 pm CST in the evening. This further presses that the Starship SN11 launch window is going to be in between this timeline.

Cameron County judge orders closure of Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 (Boca Chica, Texas).
Cameron County judge orders closure of Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 (Boca Chica, Texas). Source: Cameron County website.

The local observation team from NasaSpaceFlight.com is live-streaming the entire event since morning (video below). The excellent commentary is a gem for SpaceX, Starship, and rocket engineering enthusiasts.

SpaceX has just confirmed that the Starship SN11 high-altitude flight test is going to be attempted today (most probably this afternoon). SpaceX has the following description of the event on the official website.

As early as Friday, March 26, the SpaceX team will attempt a high-altitude flight test of Starship serial number 11 (SN11) – our fourth high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from Starbase in Texas. Similar to previous high-altitude flight tests of Starship, SN11 will be powered through ascent by three Raptor engines, each shutting down in sequence prior to the vehicle reaching apogee – approximately 10 km in altitude. SN11 will perform a propellant transition to the internal header tanks, which hold landing propellant, before reorienting itself for reentry and a controlled aerodynamic descent.

The Starship prototype will descend under active aerodynamic control, accomplished by independent movement of two forward and two aft flaps on the vehicle. All four flaps are actuated by an onboard flight computer to control Starship’s attitude during flight and enable precise landing at the intended location. SN11’s Raptor engines will then reignite as the vehicle attempts a landing flip maneuver immediately before touching down on the landing pad adjacent to the launch mount.

A controlled aerodynamic descent with body flaps and vertical landing capability, combined with in-space refilling, is critical to landing Starship at destinations across the solar system where prepared surfaces or runways do not exist and returning to Earth. This capability will enable a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration, interplanetary flights and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond.

There will be a live feed of the flight test available here that will start a few minutes prior to liftoff. Given the dynamic schedule of development testing, stay tuned to our social media channels for updates as we move toward SpaceX’s fourth high-altitude flight test of Starship!

Source: SpaceX Starship website home page.

The most important phenomena to look at in today’s SN11 flight test will be the landing, the last time, the SN10 prototype did land successfully but a RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) or explosion happened minutes later.

Update: SpaceX has scrubbed (called off) the high-altitude flight test, stay tuned for future events.

Related: Watch the Starship SN11 flap actuation test that looks like a dance

Stay tuned for future updates on Starship and SpaceX, follow us on:
Google News | Flipboard | RSS (Feedly).

Iqtidar Ali
Iqtidar Alihttp://www.teslaoracle.com
Author of more than 1500 articles on Tesla, SpaceX, and EVs. His work has been liked and tweeted by Elon Musk and other prominent influencers. You can reach him on Twitter @IqtidarAlii

Latest News

Tesla Robotaxi Austin launch was a success (rider reviews)

Yesterday, Tesla (TSLA) demonstrated its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas to a select Early Access group. These Early Access...

2026 Tesla Model Y Performance spotted testing at the Fremont factory and in the wild

Tesla (TSLA) launched the new design-refreshed Model Y midsized electric SUV this year in January. After almost 6 months...

Tesla invites Robotaxi Early Access riders for 22nd June launch in Austin, Texas

Tesla (TSLA) has finally confirmed the Robotaxi service launch date, which is 22nd June. The automaker started sending event...

Flight 10 Starship explodes during testing at Starbase, Texas, resulting in a launch delay (video)

Starbase, Texas — last night (18th June, around 11:00 PM CT), Flight 10 Starship upper stage aka Ship 36...
- Advertisement -

Flight 10 Starship explodes during testing at Starbase, Texas, resulting in a launch delay (video)

Starbase, Texas — last night (18th June, around 11:00 PM CT), Flight 10 Starship upper stage aka Ship 36...

SpaceX prepares for Starship’s 10th flight, conducts a static fire test on Booster 16, Starbase updates

After the unfortunate events of Starship's 9th launch and landing test, SpaceX is gearing up for its next flight...

Trump to cancel SpaceX contracts, Musk retracts from decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft program

Tesla & SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump's romance has taken a historic and unanticipated turn....

Tesla Tips & Tricks

Tesla phone app lets owners remotely melt snow off their cars (video)

Tesla cars have some super-nice climate features that other...

Here’s how the Tesla mobile app V4.0 is different than the old version

Tesla released the newer version 4.0 of its mobile...

Tesla Quarterly Reports & Eearnings

Tesla (TSLA) surges after Q1 2025 Earnings Call, Musk’s time at DOGE to drop significantly soon

Surprisingly, after reporting negative Q1 2025 automotive and overall...

What to expect from Tesla (TSLA) Q1 2025 Earnings Call with Elon Musk

Today's Tesla (TSLA) Q1 2025 Earnings Call is probably...

Tesla (TSLA) announces time and date of the Q1 2025 Earnings Call

Elon Musk's electric vehicle and energy storage company Tesla...
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended for You