SpaceX will attempt to send its Starship rocket into a full Earth orbit for the first time on September 22, targeting a 75-minute launch window opening at 7:15 a.m. CT. None of Starship's first 13 test flights reached a complete orbit, making this the vehicle's biggest milestone yet.
The flight will carry 26 third-generation Starlink satellites, marking Starship's first revenue-generating mission for SpaceX's own internet division. The stakes are high: a previous V3 Starlink test flight in July broke apart roughly 20 minutes after launch. Engineers have since reworked the heat shield using data recovered from Flight 13 and made additional fixes to the Super Heavy booster after earlier engine relight failures.
SpaceX is not attempting to catch either the booster or the upper stage on this flight, focusing purely on reaching orbit and deploying the satellites successfully. A clean flight would be a major validation of the multi-billion-dollar Starship program and support the company's plans to eventually retire the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.