SpaceX's next big test: Starship to attempt orbital launch in September

SpaceX is preparing for the 14th test flight of Starship, that is expected to take place in September.

Starship is SpaceX’s fully reusable launch system, made up of a Super Heavy booster and a Starship spacecraft.

The latest planned flight will use Booster 21 and Ship 41, both third-generation Starship V3 vehicles.SPACEX HAS BEEN PREPARING

The two vehicles have already gone through a series of ground tests as SpaceX prepares for the flight.

Ship 41 completed a single-engine firing on August 19, designed to simulate the kind of deorbit burn it would need during an orbital mission.

Two days later, all six of its Raptor engines were fired together for a 60-second static fire. STATIC FIRE: Ship 41 fires up ahead of Starship Flight 14. Opening test, looks like single engine.https://t.co/HSumkyMfYU pic.twitter.com/XkXJU1LglK— NSF - NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) August 20, 2026

Booster 21 followed with its own major test on August 28, when all 33 of its engines were fired for a full-duration static fire at Starbase.

These tests are crucial as Flight 14 will put the V3 hardware through a much more demanding mission than previous Starship flights.

With both stages having completed their major engine tests, SpaceX is now moving towards the final steps needed before Flight 14.

As of September 11, no exact launch date and time had been announced by SpaceX .

Until now, Starship's test flights have not attempted to place the upper stage into a stable orbit around Earth.

Flight 14 is going to change that.STARSHIP FLIGHT 14 COULD LAUNCH THIS MONTH.SpaceX is preparing for what could be Starship’s first true orbital flight.Flight 14 is expected to carry real Starlink V3 satellites into orbit.Starship is getting VERY close. pic.twitter.com/QI5PmfpiTi— Cosmos Europa (@CosmosEuropa) September 5, 2026WILL FLIGHT 14 GO TO SPACE?

The biggest goal for the latest SpaceX flight is to take Starship into low Earth orbit and deploy Starlink satellites there.

Doing that would show that Starship can place payloads into orbit before preparing for a controlled return.

The mission will also test the latest V3 hardware, including Booster 21 and Ship 41.

Next Spaceflight lists Flight 14 as the first orbital flight of Starship and the third V3 mission.

The test comes as SpaceX works towards making Starship a reusable system capable of carrying satellites, cargo and eventually people.

Nasa is also counting on a version of Starship as the lunar lander for its Artemis programme.SpaceX just announced that Starship Flight 13 is officially targeted for Thursday, July 16. pic.twitter.com/PnB5NetAbn— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) July 11, 2026HOW THE STAGE WAS SET BY FLIGHT 13

Flight 14 follows Flight 13, which launched earlier this year, on July 24.

The previous Starship flight mission was the second V3 flight and carried 20 Starlink V3 satellites. The satellites were briefly deployed in space before re-entering the atmosphere.

Ship 40 also restarted a Raptor engine in space and completed a controlled descent, ending in a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

It survived the landing and remained afloat, giving SpaceX valuable data on the spacecraft’s heat shield and return from space.

The Super Heavy booster had a less successful end. Starship is seen floating in the Indian Ocean after Flight 13. (Photo: SpaceX)

Booster 20 completed its high-thrust boostback burn, but several engines failed to relight for the landing burn, leading to a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Flight 14 is, if anything, a crucial follow-up where SpaceX will look to build on Flight 13’s successful upper-stage performance while pushing Starship into its next major phase, which is reaching space.- EndsPublished By: Aryan Published On: Sep 11, 2026 12:10 IST