SpaceX attempts first orbital flight with Starship
The fourteenth Starship flight is due to reach orbit around Earth for the first time on Monday and deploy 26 Starlink satellites.
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SpaceX is due to make its first attempt on Monday to place the Starship-Super Heavy combination into orbit around Earth. The launch window opens at 12.15 UTC, 14.15 Dutch time, and remains dependent on the rocket’s technical condition and conditions at the launch site.
The mission is the fourteenth flight of the integrated Starship-Super Heavy rocket. According to Spaceflight Now, the previous thirteen flights were deliberately conducted on suborbital trajectories. On the new flight, SpaceX intends to reignite the upper stage after launch to raise and circularise the orbit.
The rocket is approximately 124 metres tall. The planned launch window lasts 75 minutes and begins at 12.15 UTC according to the mission plan. That means the attempt will begin in the Netherlands at 14.15 at the earliest. An announced launch time is no guarantee that the flight will go ahead; technical checks or weather conditions may delay the attempt.
If orbital insertion succeeds, the upper section is due to deploy approximately 26 third-generation Starlink satellites. Three of them are equipped with additional imaging capabilities to gather information about the spacecraft’s heat-shield tiles. According to the flight plan, the satellites will be released at intervals of approximately one minute.
SpaceX does not intend to catch either rocket section on this flight. The Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft are expected to end up at sea after their flight. This means the mission differs from SpaceX’s long-term goal of making Starship fully reusable.
The flight is therefore primarily a test of the combination of propulsion, orbital insertion, satellite deployment and re-entry. A successful orbital flight would be a new technical step, but in itself says nothing yet about the system’s reliability, costs or future reusability.
The development is also relevant to NASA, which is using Starship in its programme for a crewed lunar landing. NASA is taking technical challenges and delays in that programme into account. For Monday, the modest conclusion is therefore the most appropriate: SpaceX is attempting an important new test step, the outcome of which is not yet certain.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The launch window, flight history and planned objectives have been confirmed by SpaceX and an independent spaceflight publication. The text presents future events as plans rather than accomplished facts.
- confirmed Starship Flight 14 is scheduled for 28 September 2026. — SpaceX’s official launch page lists this date. source
- confirmed The launch window begins at 12.15 UTC. — Spaceflight Now lists a 75-minute launch window starting at 12.15 UTC. source
- confirmed The mission is the first attempt to place Starship into orbit around Earth. — The independent mission publication describes this as the programme’s first orbital attempt. source
- confirmed Twenty-six Starlink V3 satellites are due to be deployed. — This is stated in Spaceflight Now’s mission description. source
- confirmed Neither rocket section will be caught on this flight. — The flight description states that both sections will end up at sea. source
- confirmed NASA is using Starship in its programme for a crewed lunar landing. — The report by NASA’s inspector general describes Starship’s role in the Human Landing System programme. source
Editor's note
The launch time and flight objectives are intentions, not an achieved outcome. The article describes the planned attempt and avoids claims about success or failure.Sources
- Starship Flight 14 — SpaceX
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch first Starlink V3 satellites to orbit on Starship — Spaceflight Now
- HLS Schedule Delays Driven by Technical Challenges and Unsettled Designs — NASA Office of Inspector General
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „spacex starship”
- De Telegraaf — „spacex starship”
- AD — „spacex starship”