SpaceX Reschedules Starship Flight 14 for September 28 Orbital Mission

SpaceX has set its sights on September 28 for the 14th test flight of its Starship rocket, a mission that marks a pivotal shift from suborbital testing to full orbital operations. The company announced the date change on X, revealing a 75-minute launch window beginning at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time. This adjustment moves the launch back from the originally planned September 22 date, though no specific reason was provided for the delay. SpaceX emphasized that the attempt remains contingent upon receiving final regulatory approval.

This upcoming flight represents a significant milestone for the vehicle. Previous test flights have remained suborbital to prioritize public safety while gathering as much technical data as possible. According to SpaceX, this new phase is designed to prepare Starship for operational missions and validate its reusability. During the 10-hour flight, the spacecraft is expected to reach an altitude of 171 miles and complete six orbits around Earth.

A key payload for this mission includes 26 Starlink V3 internet satellites. While the previous test carried these next-generation satellites to verify deployment mechanisms, those units only extended their solar arrays and antennas before being destroyed in the atmosphere. In contrast, the satellites launched on September 28 will be fully functional and capable of serving customers. The V3 models offer substantially improved performance, delivering 1 Terabit per second of downlink speed—10 times faster than V2—and 160 Gbps of uplink, which is 22 times greater than its predecessor.

In terms of recovery, SpaceX will not attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster with its launch tower arms during this flight. Instead, the booster is scheduled to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, which was renamed the Gulf of America in 2025 by President Donald Trump. The upper stage will similarly remain unrecovered, targeting a crash site in the Pacific Ocean near Chile after completing its orbital tasks. The launch will be broadcast live on SpaceX’s X account.