Historic: Booster 19 Fires All 33 Raptor 3 Engines — IFT-12 Final Ground Milestone Cleared

In the most powerful rocket test firing ever conducted at Starbase, SpaceX successfully ignited all 33 Raptor 3 engines on Super Heavy Booster 19 for a full-duration 15-second static fire on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at Orbital Launch Mount Pad 2, Boca Chica, Texas. The test produced approximately 9,240 tonnes-force (approximately 20.3 million pounds-force) of total thrust — the single greatest thrust output ever achieved by a SpaceX vehicle in a ground test and one of the most powerful propulsive firings in rocket history. This test was the culmination of a parallel two-vehicle campaign: Ship 39 successfully completed its 6-engine Raptor 3 static fire on April 15, and Booster 19 followed the day after. With both flight vehicles having passed their respective static fires, SpaceX cleared the last major ground-test milestone before IFT-12. Elon Musk subsequently announced the vehicles 'will be ready for their first test flight in a few weeks,' reaffirming the May 2026 target for Starship Integrated Flight Test 12 — the debut of the V3 configuration featuring Raptor 3 engines throughout, the first Starship from the redesigned second Orbital Launch Mount (Pad 2), and the second test of the booster catch system with the upgraded Mechazilla tower arms. The 33-engine static fire was preceded by a partial 10-engine test in March 2026 that ended early due to a ground systems issue; the April 16 full-duration test confirmed both the propulsion system and Pad 2 infrastructure are ready for launch operations.