With Flight 14 being Starship’s first supposed orbital mission, a near-term manifest is already pointing to the following two flights in shut succession.
These dates look optimistic, they usually might effectively slip, however they do affirm SpaceX is lining up a three-flight stretch from Flights 14 via 16: an orbital try from Starbase, a attainable return to catching, and Starship’s anticipated East Coast debut.
Booster 21 and Ship 41 rolled out earlier this week after months of pre-launch testing and preparations, then stacked on the pad for a moist gown rehearsal whereas SpaceX waited on approval.
From the surface, that check appeared to go effectively. Each levels have been totally loaded with propellant, there have been no obvious holds on the elective T-minus 60-second maintain level, and the depend continued to simply earlier than engine ignition earlier than the launch mount’s top-deck water deluge began and shut down just a few seconds later.
Full Stack WDR
Subsequent step: Launch License!
@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/1vnv36XZ0u
— Jerry Pike (@JerryPikePhoto) September 24, 2026
Ship 41, already loaded with 26 Starlink V3 satellites, was destacked from Booster 21 on Friday however remained on the launch web site.
A full stack practically every week earlier than the deliberate launch had raised questions on timing, however SpaceX stated groups have been utilizing the regulatory pause to get an additional rehearsal in.
Earlier Starship variations hardly ever scrubbed near launch; with Model 3, the primary two flights have every seen a scrub of some variety. The additional pad time additionally put the launch mount again into use greater than two months after the final flight.
Approval might nonetheless arrive at any time, together with over the weekend, so a Monday launch stays attainable even with no license in hand tonight.
The October dates come from presentation slides posted via the CADENA air visitors administration system, which flags upcoming occasions, climate, and different elements that would have an effect on air visitors throughout North and South America.
As anticipated, the briefing dwells on the airspace influence of Flight 14 subsequent week and notes different area exercise, together with Falcon launches, however it additionally lists extra “upcoming high-profile missions.”
That is tremendous provisional!
Starship Flight 15 – NET October 19
Starship Flight 16 (Starlink 30-1) – KSC 39A – NET October 30.You possibly can wager these dates will slip, however it exhibits a few of SpaceX's ahead planning. pic.twitter.com/aB7KihBsH8
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) September 24, 2026
These entries put Starship Flight 15 no sooner than Oct. 19 and one other Starship launch, Starlink Group 30-1, no sooner than Oct. 30. Flight 15 is known to be the following Starbase mission after Flight 14 and the flight that would restore catching, probably of each autos.
Starlink Group 30-1 is predicted to be the primary Starship launch from Launch Advanced 39A in Florida; as with Flight 14, that East Coast mission has been given a Starlink designation, on this case 30-1 somewhat than 31-1.
The dates must be handled cautiously. SpaceX nonetheless wants a clear Flight 14 consequence; the Flight 15 autos nonetheless require their very own engine testing, and a few of the slide dates might already be days or perhaps weeks outdated. Further regulatory approval, together with for a attainable ship catch on Flight 15, might push the schedule additional.
A Florida launch would additionally require autos to be moved east and the pad to be totally activated. SpaceX examined LC-39A’s top-deck deluge system for the primary time Thursday night time, an indication the pad is getting nearer, however it nonetheless lacks a license to fly Starship from 39A.
BREAKING NEWS
For the primary time, moments in the past, SpaceX examined the highest deck deluge of the Starship launch mount at historic LC-39A in Florida!
See in the event that they preserve testing extra tonight by watching the @NASASpaceflight 24/7 livestream, https://t.co/ejPQM0oNEh! pic.twitter.com/Znw3e5dF7T
— MattZ (@wvmattz) September 25, 2026
These October targets are more likely to unfold out within the weeks forward. They solely maintain if Flight 14 does what Model 3 has not finished but: get via the depend, attain orbit, and produce a working ship house via reentry. Till that occurs, the manifest is a sketch. Flight 14 stays the important thing focus to set the stage for the following milestones.
Lead picture: SpaceX
Flight 14 protection plans
NASASpaceflight plans expanded protection of Flight 14. Launch protection is ready to start at T-minus 4 hours and proceed via payload deployment.
If Starship is accredited to stay in orbit, protection would then shift to an orbital stakeout stream via the automobile’s practically eight-hour coast earlier than deorbit and reentry. Devoted deorbit, entry, and splashdown protection would start about half-hour earlier than the deorbit burn.
The opening of the present window is 7:15 a.m. native time at Starbase, which might produce a dawn launch. NASASpaceflight groups are already on web site.
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