SpaceX is scheduled to attempt the first orbital flight of its Starship megarocket on Monday, Sept. 28. The mission, designated Flight 14, marks a significant transition from the 13 previous test flights, which SpaceX says were intentionally flown on suborbital trajectories to maximize learning and public safety. To achieve orbit, the spacecraft must reach a speed of 17,500 mph, allowing it to continuously stay in space by flying sideways as the Earth’s surface curves away.
SpaceX to Attempt First Orbital Flight of Starship Megarocket on Sept. 28
The launch is scheduled to take place from the Starbase site in South Texas. The 75-minute launch window opens at 8:15 a.m. EDT (7:15 a.m. local Texas time). SpaceX will provide a live stream of the event on its website and X, with coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before liftoff. The team has until 9:30 a.m. EDT to launch the vehicle.
Mission Objectives and Orbital Path
If the vehicle remains healthy during ascent, it will fire an engine to enter orbit, where it is expected to circle the planet six times. The flight is projected to last nearly 10 hours, a stark contrast to previous suborbital tests that lasted a maximum of 65 minutes. The spacecraft is expected to fly at an altitude of approximately 170 to 275 kilometers, which is below the 250-mile orbit of the International Space Station.
The mission concludes with a deorbit burn to send the Ship upper-stage spacecraft through the atmosphere for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile. The Super Heavy booster is scheduled to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico roughly seven minutes after liftoff. While SpaceX has successfully caught the booster with “chopstick” arms at the launch pad three times previously, neither the booster nor the Ship will attempt a tower landing during this specific test flight.
Commercial Payload and Starlink V3 Deployment
Flight 14 will serve as the first mission to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink Version 3 internet satellites. SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen has described this as the first revenue-generating flight
and a commercial, non-demonstration mission.
Starship is currently the only launch vehicle capable of carrying the V3 satellites, which analysts estimate weigh nearly two tons—three times the size of V2 mini satellites. These new spacecraft are rated for 1 terabyte per second of download transmission, providing 10 times the downlink capacity of the V2 minis.
Three of the 26 satellites have been equipped with cameras to scan Starship’s heatshield and transmit images to operators. This data will help SpaceX analyze heatshield readiness for future missions where the rocket returns to the launch site.
Technical Specifications and Future Goals
Standing 407 feet tall when fully stacked, Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. It is propelled by 10 million pounds of liquid methane and oxygen via 33 Raptor engines. SpaceX describes the goal of making both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship upper-stage fully and rapidly reusable as the holy grail of rocketry
.
To prepare for this flight, SpaceX implemented several hardware and software modifications based on data from Flight 13. These include:
- Additional retention mechanisms for tiles in high-risk areas to prevent them from falling off during ascent.
- Addressing flow paths for plasma behind tiles.
- Testing curved tile designs to reduce heating in the gaps between tiles.
Following this orbital test, SpaceX must still demonstrate off-Earth propellant transfer via “tanker” Ships and install life-support systems for crewed missions. NASA has selected Starship to serve as the first crewed lunar lander for the Artemis program, with the goal of landing humans on the moon during the Artemis IV mission in 2028.