SpaceX reschedules Starship’s first flight around the Earth

SpaceX has pushed back the planned launch of Starship Flight 14 from Starbase by six days as the company prepares for the rocket’s first attempt to orbit Earth.

The company is now targeting Monday, Sept. 28, after previously setting Sept. 22 as the earliest launch date. SpaceX did not give a reason for the schedule change.

The 75-minute launch window is scheduled to open at 7:15 a.m. from Starbase near Brownsville. The flight remains pending regulatory approval.

Flight 14 would mark a major shift in SpaceX’s Starship testing program. Previous flight tests intentionally followed suborbital trajectories, while the upcoming mission is designed to send Starship into orbit for the first time.

Starship is expected to fly about 171 miles above Earth and complete roughly six orbits during a nearly 10-hour mission.

The company also plans to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, marking the first planned deployment of the new generation of satellites aboard Starship. After completing its orbits, Starship is expected to perform a deorbit burn before reentering the atmosphere and targeting a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, is expected to separate from Starship after launch and attempt a landing burn at an offshore location in the Gulf rather than returning to Starbase.

SpaceX has cautioned that the test schedule remains dynamic and could change again.