SpaceX is scheduled to launch its massive Starship megarocket on Monday, September 28, attempting to reach Earth orbit for the first time in the vehicle’s history, according to Space. The launch will take place from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas during a 75-minute window that opens at 8:15 a.m. EDT, or 7:15 a.m. local Texas time, as reported by Space.
SpaceX Prepares Starship Megarocket for First-Ever Orbital Attempt
Standing 407 feet (124 meters) tall when fully stacked, Starship is recognized as the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, per Space. The upcoming mission marks the 14th test flight of the rocket since its debut in April 2023, with all 13 previous flights maintaining intentional suborbital trajectories, as noted by FTW USA Today.
Mission Profile and Satellite Deployment
During Flight 14, the 171-foot-tall (52-meter) upper-stage spacecraft, known as Ship, will travel to Earth orbit and deploy 26 next-generation Starlink Version 3 internet satellites, according to Space. These units will serve as the initial members of a low Earth orbit megaconstellation envisioned by company founder Elon Musk to eventually comprise 100,000 spacecraft, supplementing the approximately 11,000 Starlink satellites currently operated by SpaceX, as detailed by Space.
Following deployment, the Ship is planned to circle the planet six times before executing a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile nearly 10 hours after launch, as outlined by Space. This profile contrasts with earlier suborbital test flights, which lasted a maximum of 65 minutes and targeted the Indian Ocean off Western Australia, per Space. Meanwhile, the Super Heavy first-stage booster is scheduled to make a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico approximately seven minutes after liftoff, according to Space. Neither stage will attempt a tower landing using the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms on this flight, notes Yahoo Finance.
Commercial and Financial Implications
According to SpaceX Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen in coverage from Yahoo Finance, Flight 14 represents Starship’s first commercial, non-demonstration mission and its initial revenue-generating flight. Starship is presently the sole launch vehicle capable of transporting the Starlink V3 satellites, which are rated for one terabyte per second of download transmission—ten times the capacity of V2 mini satellites, as reported by Yahoo Finance.
The classification of the flight as revenue-generating involves complex corporate accounting. Because SpaceX capitalizes internal Starlink launch costs within its Connectivity segment rather than recognizing traditional inter-segment revenue for dedicated deployments, market analysts have explored possibilities such as updated internal accounting policies or the inclusion of external customer cargo on the rocket, according to Yahoo Finance.
Long-Term Goals and Future Milestones
Both stages of the Starship system are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, a capability SpaceX characterizes as a vital breakthrough for space exploration, according to Space. The rocket’s development is also essential for broader institutional efforts, including NASA’s Artemis program, which selected Ship to serve as the first crewed lunar lander for the Artemis IV mission slated to land people on the moon in 2028, per Space.
Before achieving routine crewed and deep-space missions to destinations like the moon and Mars, SpaceX must clear several technical hurdles. These include demonstrating tower catches for the upper stage, outfitting Ship with a functional life-support system, and mastering off-earth propellant transfers via orbital rendezvous with tanker ships, none of which have been tested yet, as stated by Space and FTW USA Today.
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