SpaceX preps Starship Flight 14 for historic first orbital test launch Monday

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FOX Local

Updated September 28, 2026 7:17 AM CDT

Published September 28, 2026 5:00 AM CDT
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The Brief

    • SpaceX is targeting as early as Monday morning for the 14th test flight of its Starship rocket, marking its first attempt to reach Earth orbit.
    • Flight 14 plans to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites before attempting a controlled Pacific Ocean splashdown west of Chile.
    • The flight test remains subject to pending regulatory approval and potential dynamic schedule changes.

BOCA CHICA, Texas - SpaceX is getting ready to launch its massive Starship rocket on its 14th test flight as early as Monday morning, pending final government approval.

The SpaceX Starship spacecraft lifts off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on March 14, 2024. SpaceX on Thursday carried out the third test launch of Starship, the world's most powerful rocket. SpaceX's Starship mega rocket was "lost" during re-ent …

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The launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. Central Time and will last for 75 minutes. 

Until now, all Starship test flights have stayed on safe, lower paths that did not go all the way around the Earth. This upcoming flight will be the very first time SpaceX tries to send the rocket into full orbit. Doing this is a major step toward making the rocket reusable so it can fly again and again quickly.

The SpaceX Starship V3 launches from Starbase on May 22, 2026, in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

What the mission will do

What we know:

If everything goes as planned, Starship will fly about 170 miles high, circle the Earth about six times over a nearly 10-hour trip, and finally splash down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

This flight will also carry a heavy load of 26 brand-new Starlink internet satellites (Version 3). These new satellites are designed to make global internet service much faster and more reliable. Three of these satellites are specially equipped with cameras to take pictures of Starship's protective heat shield while in space and send them back to engineers on the ground.

Improvements and Fixes

SpaceX has made several updates to the rocket based on lessons learned from the previous test flight in order to fix past issues:

  • The Booster (First Stage): The huge first-stage booster will try to fly back and land safely in the ocean. Engineers added better filters and software updates to fix an issue where ice buildup caused some engines to shut down early during the last test.
  • The Upper Ship: The main ship will try to enter orbit, release the satellites, restart an engine in space to slow down, and make a controlled landing splashdown in the ocean.
  • Heat Shield Upgrades: Workers added extra clips to hold the heat shield tiles in place, sealed gaps where hot gases could slip through, and tested new curved tiles designed to reduce heat. For the first time, two tiles that flew on a previous flight will be reused on this one.

SpaceX notes that because this is still a test program, the exact schedule could change.

The Source: Information in this article is from SpaceX.

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