The company still needs to obtain permission to launch
The space company SpaceX successfully conducted a static fire test of the giant Starship, continuing to prepare for the third test launch. The team reported this on social networks and shared a video showing the testing process.
For this purpose, six Raptor engines were briefly fired while the rocket remained in place at the Starbase site in South Texas.
Essentially, the Starship super-heavy rocket consists of two parts — a huge first stage Super Heavy with 33 Raptor engines and an upper stage with the Starship spacecraft, which is equipped with six Raptor engines.
Recall that the huge SpaceX Starship 25 spacecraft and the Super Heavy 9 launch vehicle were launched into orbit on November 18, 2023 from Starbase in South Texas. This was the second launch, which was much more successful than the debut attempt in April.
Shortly after the second launch, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk promised that «hardware» rockets with the Starship ship should be ready for the third flight in 3–4 weeks — until the new Year. However, technical readiness is not the only factor that plays a role here. The company still needs to obtain permission for a new launch from regulators.