SpaceX to attempt first orbital flight of Starship rocket

By the Everything Space news desk · 28 Sep 2026 · written from the sources below

Image: Phys.org

Reaching orbit would mark a critical step toward making Starship a reusable vehicle for future moon and Mars missions.

SpaceX is preparing for its 14th test flight of Starship, aiming for the first time to place the rocket's upper stage into Earth orbit rather than following the suborbital paths used in previous attempts. The launch is set to take place in Texas, with the flight expected to last about 10 hours if all stages proceed as planned.

If successful, the spacecraft will attempt to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink satellites while in orbit, expanding the company's satellite internet network. The mission profile calls for the vehicle to circle Earth six times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, while the Super Heavy booster is expected to fall into the Gulf of Mexico. Unlike some earlier flights, SpaceX does not plan to catch the booster with its mechanical arms this time.

Reaching a stable orbit requires a demanding second engine burn after the initial ascent, a maneuver experts describe as particularly difficult because of the changing forces the rocket experiences at different altitudes. To achieve the targeted circular orbit roughly 275 kilometers above Earth, the vehicle needs to reach speeds near 28,000 kilometers per hour.

Starship's development has been marked by repeated delays and several dramatic explosions during earlier test flights. Engineers view simply completing the flight and collecting data as a meaningful success, even though public and investor expectations tend to favor visibly successful outcomes.

The rocket is central to Musk's ambitions for reusable spacecraft capable of supporting future lunar and Mars missions, and its progress comes as competition grows, including from a Chinese company advancing its own reusable rocket technology. Despite the challenges facing Starship, SpaceX continues to lead the global launch market through its partially reusable Falcon rockets. This test is one of four SpaceX launches scheduled during the same week, including a mission that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Written in Everything Space’s own words by our news-desk model from the sources above, and checked against them in code: every number in this report appears in its sources, and no sentence is copied from them.