--- title: "Breaking: SpaceX Reaches Major Starship Milestone, Fires 31 Engines At Once" description: "The company just fired 31 of its gigantic Super Heavy booster's 33 rockets at once, producing a gargantuan amount of thrust." date: "2023-02-09" modified: "2023-02-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-firing-31-engines" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Breaking: SpaceX Reaches Major Starship Milestone, Fires 31 Engines At Once ![The company just fired 31 of its gigantic Super Heavy booster's 33 rockets at once, producing a gargantuan amount of thrust.]() *\Image: NASASpaceFlight\* ## Major Burn SpaceX just pulled off an incredible stunt. The company fired 31 of its gigantic Super Heavy booster's 33 rocket engines at once, producing a gargantuan amount of thrust — likely the most powerful rocket ignition in human history. It's a massive step forward, setting the stage for SpaceX's long-awaited, inaugural [orbital test launch]() of its Starship, a spacecraft that could potentially revolutionize space travel before the end of the decade. "Team turned off 1 engine just before start & 1 stopped itself, so 31 engines fired overall," CEO Elon Musk [tweeted](). "But still enough engines to reach orbit!" https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1623794798351253504 ## Big Thruster It was truly a sight to behold. [Live streams]() of the event show a gigantic fireball emanating from under the rocket booster prototype, engulfing the entire region in smoke and forcing countless birds to clear the area at once. The launch stand [appears to be largely intact](), but we'll likely hear more from SpaceX and Musk soon. According to early [back-of-the-envelope math]() by *NASASpaceFlight*'s Stephen Clark, the test firing produced over 15 million pounds of thrust. That means Super Heavy just produced "nearly double" the amount of thrust compared to NASA's retired Saturn V rocket and Space Launch System, according to Clark. SpaceX still needs [certification from the Federal Aviation Administration]() for its orbital launch attempt. But the company is already putting on one hell of a show. **More on Starship:** *[Elon Musk Says SpaceX May Build Starship That Dies on Purpose]()* ## 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]()