--- title: "SpaceX Starship Prototype Fires Up Its 3 Engines Ahead of Flight to 12 Miles" description: "SpaceX's latest Starship prototype called SN8 completed a \"static fire\" test of its three Raptor engines early this morning." date: "2020-10-20" modified: "2020-10-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacexs-starship-prototype-fires-up-3-engines-flight-12-miles" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Starship Prototype Fires Up Its 3 Engines Ahead of Flight to 12 Miles ![SpaceX's latest Starship prototype called SN8 completed a "static fire" test of its three Raptor engines early this morning.]() *\Image: NASASpaceFlight\* ## Static Fire SpaceX's latest [Starship]() prototype, called SN8, completed a "static fire" test of its three Raptor engines early this morning at the company's test site in Boca Chica, Texas. The event was caught on camera by *NASASpaceFlight*, showing the water tower-like rocket sending off a large cloud of white smoke. https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1318465659706183680 ## Big Jump The test moves the prototype another step towards its big moment: a [test flight to an altitude of 12 miles](). So far, the company has flown [three]() preceding Starship prototypes to [150 meters]() using only a single Raptor engine each time. SN8 is not only outfitted with three of them, but it will also feature two aerodynamic "wings" and a nosecone, making it look much more like the final envisioned product. SpaceX may perform another static fire before those features will be installed. ## Getting Closer [According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk](), the final Starship design will feature six Raptor engines total: three for getting off the ground and three vacuum variants with much larger nozzles meant to propel it through space. The 165-foot rocket will be pushed into orbit using a "Super Heavy" booster, which will feature around 30 Raptor engines on its own. It's still unclear when SpaceX will attempt to fly SN8 to 12 miles, but given the successful static fire tests, such an attempt might now be a matter of months, if not weeks, away. Musk has some ambitious plans for the Starship. If all goes well, he wants to send the first rocket all the way to Mars in a [matter of just four years](). **READ MORE:** [SpaceX fires up 3-engine Starship SN8 prototype ahead of epic test flight]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on Starship:** *[Elon Musk Wants to Send First Starship to Mars in 2024]()* ## 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]()