SpaceX has completed a wet dress rehearsal for the upcoming launch of Starship Flight 14 from Starbase in South Texas, keeping the 407-foot-tall vehicle on track for an orbital test flight on Monday morning, September 28, 2026. The mission will push the spacecraft farther than ever before, deploying 26 next-generation Starlink Version 3 satellites during a six-orbit flight.
Stacking the Megarocket at Starbase Pad 2
Preparations at the South Texas launch site accelerated on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, when SpaceX assembled the full Starship-Super Heavy stack at Pad 2. The upper-stage spacecraft, designated Ship 41 or S41, rolled out from the production site roughly three miles west of the pad late Tuesday night. Around 5.5 hours later, the 171-foot-tall ship was hoisted by the launch tower’s mechanical arms—colloquially termed chopsticks—and placed securely atop the Super Heavy booster B21.
https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2103230238390173995
Following this assembly, mission teams executed a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) on September 24. During this crucial testing phase, engineers loaded the vehicle with propellants and stepped through all standard countdown procedures up to the final seconds before ignition, without actually firing the Raptor engines. Clearing the WDR validates the cryogenic loading protocols and ground support infrastructure ahead of liftoff.
Trajectory Changes and Mission Architecture for Flight 14
While Starship debuted in April 2023, all twelve subsequent flights prior to this milestone sent the upper-stage spacecraft on suborbital trajectories. Flight 14 marks a fundamental operational pivot. The 171-foot-tall Ship will achieve the velocity required to enter Earth orbit.
Once established in orbit, the spacecraft will deploy 26 next-generation Starlink Version 3 satellites. This marks the inaugural deployment for a constellation that leadership plans to scale significantly. The mission plan dictates that the upper stage will circle Earth six times before executing a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile. This splashdown zone represents a operational shift from previous flights, which targeted the Indian Ocean near Western Australia.
Meanwhile, the first-stage Super Heavy booster will separate approximately seven minutes after launch and perform a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. While operational flights ultimately aim to catch both the Ship and Super Heavy back at the launch tower using the chopsticks—a feat SpaceX has achieved with the booster on three prior occasions—catch attempts have not yet been extended to the upper stage.
Regulatory Hurdle and Launch Window Dynamics
Liftoff is currently targeted for Monday, September 28, 2026, during a 75-minute window opening at 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT; 7:15 a.m. local Texas time). However, official clearance remains contingent on final regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA established a temporary flight restriction (TFR) over Starbase running from September 23 through October 7, restricting airspace up to 10,000 feet above ground level. SpaceX intends to stream the entire mission live, capturing all six orbits and the final Pacific splashdown sequence.
