SpaceX to send Starship into orbit for the first time on September 22

SpaceX is preparing for a major Starship milestone on September 22, when it plans to send the rocket’s upper stage into Earth orbit for the first time and deploy 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites.

Previous Starship flights have reached space but remained on suborbital trajectories. Flight 14 is expected to fly at an altitude of roughly 275 kilometers for nearly 10 hours, completing about six orbits before a planned deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX has tested Starship’s satellite deployment system on earlier flights, but those payloads remained on trajectories that eventually brought them back into the atmosphere. If Flight 14 succeeds, it will mark the first time Starship has delivered operational satellites to orbit.

The mission would also give Starship its first commercial role within SpaceX. TechCrunch reports that a successful flight would generate revenue for SpaceX’s launch division for the first time, even though the customer is another part of the company. SpaceX ultimately wants Starship to replace Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy once the vehicle can fly reliably several times a week.

After deploying the satellites, SpaceX plans to restart one of Starship’s engines for a controlled deorbit burn. The Super Heavy booster will attempt a landing burn before splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. Neither stage is scheduled to be caught by the launch tower during this flight.

Flight 14 will be only the second Starship test since SpaceX went public in June in the largest IPO on record. The company raised more than $85 billion after underwriters exercised their full option. As TechCrunch notes, SpaceX’s plans for a dramatically higher launch cadence depend on Starship being able to reliably reach orbit, return to Earth and eventually be reused on a rapid turnaround. Flight 14 will test the first of those capabilities.

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SpaceX has set a 75-minute launch window beginning at 7:15 a.m. Central Time on September 22. The launch date remains subject to regulatory approval.