---
title: "SpaceX’s Orbital Starship Prototype Just Fired Up All Its Engines"
description: "SpaceX has completed a static fire test of its first orbital-class Starship spacecraft prototype with all six engines attached."
date: "2021-11-12"
modified: "2021-11-12"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-orbital-starship-prototype-fired-engines"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
  - "super heavy"
  - "the digest"
---

# SpaceX’s Orbital Starship Prototype Just Fired Up All Its Engines

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/prewrite-starship-completes-dramatic-static-fire-test-with-all-engines.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASASpaceFlight\</em\>*

## Static Fire

SpaceX has successfully completed a static fire test of its first orbital-class Starship spacecraft prototype, with all six engines attached.

The massive stainless steel-clad tower lit up in dramatic fashion, as seen on [footage broadcast by *NASASpaceFlight*](<https://youtu.be/g8ja43uGrdQ>), lighting up the space company's testing facilities in South Texas.

It's the first time the prototype, dubbed Starship 20, lit all six engines — three Raptor engines designed to take it into orbit and three optimized for traveling through the vacuum of space — at the same time.

"Good static fire with all six engines!" SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [tweeted](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1459223854757277702>) following the test.

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1459223486761742343

## Next Steps

Today's static fire test is a watershed moment for the space company, setting the stage for Starship's maiden voyage into orbit. But when that test will happen is still unclear due to an ongoing [investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration](<https://futurism.com/spacex-faa-debris-fire>).

The prototype previously completed its [first static fire test](<https://www.engadget.com/spacex-sn-20-starship-first-static-fire-test-081730152.html>), albeit with only three Raptor engines attached.

Now, we wait until Starship 20 gets to sit on top of its Super Heavy booster [for the second time](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-super-heavy>). SpaceX will likely static fire test its Booster 4 prototype prior to any orbital launch.

But we can't wait to watch the massive tower take flight.

**More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Workers Spotted Doing Pullups Near Top of Mechazilla Tower](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-workers-pullups-mechazilla-tower>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)