SpaceX is readying for the first static firing of Raptor engines connected to the base of a Super Heavy booster, known as Booster 3. The test is a critical step in verifying and validating Super Heavy’s initial design for the first series of test boosters, including Booster 4, which is expected to launch Ship 20 on the Starship system’s first orbital flight attempt later this year.
The static fire is currently expected no earlier than Thursday, 15 July, and will mark the first time SpaceX attempts to put a Super Heavy booster through a full ground test campaign. With a new component of the Starship system, differences are expected in the fueling process from what was seen with the “Ship” portions of the Starship system.