SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) performed a major engine test on the Flight 14 upper-stage spacecraft, i.e., Starship 41 (Ship 41/S41), on August 21, 2026.
Ship 41 went through a massive 6-engine static engine burn for a period of 60 seconds. These static-fire tests are conducted to validate the integrity of the rocket engines and test the spacecraft’s endurance under massive downward thrust and heat.
The 60-second-long ignition of the newest Raptor 3 generation Starship engines felt like going on forever. SpaceX shared some stunning aerial and ground footage of this test (watch below).
To conduct such intense testing on the upper-stage Starships, SpaceX has set up a test site at Massey’s Outpost in Starbase, Texas. With the V3 generation, the ship does not need to be off-loaded from the transport stand to the test stand at the Massey’s test site.
The transport stand that moves the Starship from the production site to the test site also serves as a static-fire test stand. The ship is mounted over a flame-deflecting trench and held vertically using a steel truss structure.
SpaceX confirmed that this was a full-duration static-fire in which all of the 6 Raptor engines passed the test. This 6-engine test came within days of the Ship 41 single-engine static fire that demonstrated a deorbit burn last week.
The Starship preparing for our fourteenth flight test completed a full-duration, 60-second static fire with all six Raptor engines pic.twitter.com/DY11p3KVxU
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 21, 2026
Flight 14 Booster 21 Pre-Launch Testing
The lower, or 1st-stage, Super Heavy rocket intended for the Flight 14 launch and landing test (IFT-14) is named Booster 21, or B14 for short.
Earlier this morning (August 25), SpaceX rolled out Booster 21 from the production site to the launch site. This is a strong indication that SpaceX is gearing up for pre-launch testing of Booster 21.
In the first phase, SpaceX will perform cryogenic pressure-proof testing to evaluate the structural integrity of the world’s largest rocket.
After the propellant-load pressure tests, SpaceX will proceed to the static-fire tests. As with the Flight 13 Booster 40, SpaceX might perform a 33-engine static-fire test directly on Booster 21.
Over time, through experience and ongoing engineering improvements, SpaceX has achieved a better test cadence for the Starship hardware. This shortens the pre-launch testing to launch timing.
It might just take a week or two for SpaceX to complete testing on Booster 14, and the announcement of the Flight 14 launch and the Starship landing-catch test (IFT-14) should be expected during this period.
Stay tuned for upcoming updates and live launch day coverage on TeslaOracle.com.
Booster 21 is on the move!
— Amy Doehring (@mymatrixplug) August 25, 2026
Just rolled out of Production and heading to the launch pad for static fire testing.
Flight 14 is getting closer! 🚀
For WAI Media @FelixSchlang pic.twitter.com/jsiqHIzguH
Flight 14: Starship Landing Catch
During the Q2 2026 SpaceX Earnings Call, the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, revealed that in Flight 14, SpaceX will attempt to catch the upper stage of the Starship with the launch tower arms (Chopsticks).
In the previous two V3 flights, SpaceX primarily deployed dummy satellites, Dodger Dogs, and camera-equipped Starlink V3 satellites (Flight 13). In both flights, the deployment from the Starship payload bay was flawless.
The upcoming Flight 14 launch and landing test (IFT-14) will be unique in another way:
SpaceX has previously caught the Super Heavy booster multiple times. It’s going to be the first time SpaceX will attempt to catch the upper stage ship on its way back to Earth.
SpaceX’s first attempt to catch Starship with the tower will likely take place around Starship flights 13 to 15, depending on how well the V3 flights perform pic.twitter.com/8eNJgsHmpl
— SMX 🇺🇸 (@iam_smx) November 23, 2025
Stay tuned for future updates on Starship and SpaceX. Follow us on:
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Related SpaceX / Starship News and Videos
- SpaceX deployed 26 terabits per second of Starlink V3 bandwidth in a single Starship launch (Flight 14)
- Watch Flight 14 Starship launch live stream recordings and read the live updates archive
- SpaceX completes Starship Flight 14 launch rehearsal, gets final FAA approval for launch on Monday, more
- SpaceX (SPCX) President Gwynne Shotwell files to sell $52M worth of the company’s shares
- Starship Flight 14 gets delayed, SpaceX moves Booster 21 to Starbase launch pad, more
- Starship Flight 14 orbital launch: planned trajectory, mission objectives, no landing catch
 moves the Flight 14 Super Heavy Booster 21 to the launch site for pre-launch testing after the 6-engine static fire test on Ship 41 (pics, videos, details).){kind=link}