Starship, SN15, High Altitude Flight Test

As early as Wednesday, May 5, the SpaceX team will attempt a highaltitude flight test of Starship serial number 15 (SN15) our fifth highaltitude flight test of a Starship prototype from Starbase in Texas. SN15 has vehicle improvements across structures, avionics and software, and the engines that will allow more speed and efficiency throughout production and flight: specifically, a new enhanced avionics suite, updated propellant architecture in the aft skirt, and a new Raptor engine design and configuration. Similar to previous highaltitude flight tests of Starship, SN15 will be powered through ascent by three Raptor engines, each shutting down in sequence prior to the vehicle reaching apogee approximately 10 km in altitude. SN15 will perform a propellant transition to the internal header tanks, which hold landing propellant, before reorienting itself for reentry and a controlled aerodynamic descent. The Starship prototype will descend under active aerodynamic control, accomplished by independent