ParisNine STAR-1 engines will power each core stage.
Test stands, not engineering talent, are Europe’s real launch bottleneck.
The test ran the turbopumps, injector plate and combustion chamber together for the first time, where instability usually appears.
France’s Sirius still must show full-duration burns and a restart before 2028.
How each outlet framed it
- European Spaceflight
- details first integrated STAR-1 subsystem test (all critical components operating together); suggests schedule slip from H1 2026
Sources: European Spaceflight