Starship #14 readies for launch
September 14, 2026

By Chris Forrester



Subject to the usual weather and last-minute technical delays, SpaceX is planning to launch its Starship Test flight 14 this coming on September 18th – a slight delay from an initial September 15th target date.

It has a launch window of 07.15-09.14 at its Starbase, Texas site. It will carry a batch of about 20 powerful – and much larger – Starlink Version 3 broadband satellites.


This launch will be very different from previous test flights. It is planned that the main rocket’s upper stage will go ‘full orbit’ and circumnavigate the Earth. This will mean a much more demanding series of tests, not least the performance of the heat shields.

The two portions of the rocket will see one segment splashing down into the ocean. The lower booster stage might (it is currently unclear) return to Starbase and be caught by the site’s ‘chopstick’ recovery gantry, or it might also end up in the ocean.