Starship SN4

Block 1 Starship Prototype

Mission Profile

Starship SN4 (Serial Number 4) was the first SpaceX Starship prototype to successfully complete a static fire test with a Raptor engine, conducting five static fires between April and May 2020 at the Boca Chica test site. The stainless-steel vehicle was intended to conduct the first low-altitude hop test, but was destroyed on 29 May 2020 during a post-static-fire propellant venting procedure when a fuel leak ignited and caused a catastrophic explosion. Despite its destruction, SN4's static fire campaign validated Raptor engine operations in the full-scale Starship vehicle environment and informed structural improvements incorporated into SN5, which successfully completed the first 150-meter hop on 4 August 2020.