New Delhi, September 28 (Daily Kiran) : SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, is preparing to launch the 14th test flight of its Starship rocket on Monday, September 28, 2026. This mission aims to achieve the spacecraft’s first orbital flight.
The company announced on the social media platform X that the launch window will open at 7:15 AM, contingent upon regulatory approval.
Viewers can watch the launch live on SpaceX’s official website, with coverage expected to begin approximately 30 minutes prior to liftoff.
During this mission, the Starship is set to ascend to an altitude of about 275 kilometers, complete nearly six orbits, and remain airborne for around 10 hours. Following this, it will aim for a landing in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile.
After stage separation, the upper stage of the Starship is expected to deploy the next generation of 26 Starlink V3 satellites. This deployment is projected to enhance SpaceX’s satellite network capacity by approximately 26 terabits per second, which is about ten times more than a standard Falcon 9 launch.
Once the satellites are in place, the Starship will perform a de-orbit burn using a Raptor engine. It will then attempt a controlled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, followed by a landing in the ocean.
This flight will also test key components of the Super Heavy booster, including launch, stage separation, and the final landing burn, with a targeted landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
This mission comes after significant upgrades to both hardware and software, aimed at addressing engine failures related to ice, which caused the 13th flight’s boostback maneuver to end prematurely.
Additionally, reports indicate that SpaceX is testing modifications to the Starship’s heat shield, including stronger tile mounting, a curved tile design, and improved plasma shielding. The ship will feature two reused heat shield tiles from Ship 40, marking an initial test of the reusable thermal protection system for the Starship.
Leave a Comment