SpaceX is preparing for the most significant test in its Starship program’s history: Flight 14, scheduled for September 28, 2026, will mark the first time the massive rocket reaches Earth orbit. The 75-minute launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. CT (15:15 Moscow time) from Starbase, Texas, Pad B. All previous 13 flights followed suborbital trajectories designed to maximize public safety while gathering data.
The mission profile is ambitious: Starship, powered by Booster 21 and Ship 41 — both Block 3 vehicles — will ascend to approximately 275 km, complete roughly six orbits over nearly 10 hours, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. The booster will perform a boostback burn and land offshore in the Gulf of America. Crucially, the flight will also deploy the first operational batch of 26 Starlink V3 satellites, delivering 26 Tbps of network capacity. SpaceX completed a successful wet dress rehearsal on September 24, fueling the rocket and running through the full countdown without ignition.
This orbital milestone is essential for NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to use Starship to land astronauts on the Moon by 2028. Backup launch dates are available on September 29 and 30 if needed. The live webcast will begin approximately 30 minutes before liftoff on X (@SpaceX).
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