SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of spaceflight innovation with its latest milestone in the Starship development program. On Monday, May 12, the company conducted a crucial long-duration static fire test of its Starship upper stage at the Starbase facility in South Texas, signaling major progress toward the vehicle's upcoming ninth test flight.
Credit: SpaceX
During the test, all six Raptor engines on the towering 171-foot (52-meter) upper stage were successfully ignited, sustaining full thrust for approximately 60 seconds. This test marked the third static fire for this specific vehicle, which is now in the final phases of preparation for its next journey into the upper atmosphere — and perhaps beyond.
SpaceX shared video footage and images of the test on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, describing it as part of the final checkout process before the next integrated flight. While the company has not confirmed a specific launch date for Flight 9, the readiness of both the Starship upper stage and its corresponding Super Heavy booster suggests that liftoff could occur in the coming weeks.
Standing a staggering 403.5 feet (123 meters) tall when fully stacked, Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It is composed of two reusable components: the Super Heavy booster, which provides lift-off power, and the Starship upper stage, designed for long-duration missions in space. Both elements are engineered with rapid reusability in mind — a feature SpaceX considers essential for achieving cost-effective, sustainable space travel.
Credit: SpaceX
The stakes are high for Flight 9. Starship has undergone eight test flights to date, including two in 2025 — one in January and another in March. Both missions demonstrated significant progress, particularly with the Super Heavy booster, which executed controlled descents and successful “chopstick” catches using Starbase’s launch tower arms. However, the upper stage encountered critical issues in both attempts, culminating in in-flight explosions less than ten minutes after launch.
Monday’s static fire appears to have gone smoothly, offering hope that SpaceX has resolved the technical challenges that plagued earlier flights. The performance of this upper stage will be closely watched in the upcoming mission, which could prove pivotal not just for the program’s progress, but for SpaceX’s long-term ambitions.
Company founder Elon Musk envisions Starship as the cornerstone of a multiplanetary future. Its massive payload capacity and reusability are seen as essential to enabling human settlement on Mars — a goal that has driven much of SpaceX’s technological innovation over the past decade.
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