The ship is in orbit!
Ship 41 made its first-ever orbital insertion at an altitude of approximately 170 miles (275 kilometers).
Deployment of Starship’s Starlink payloads is expected to begin at T+34 minutes.
Starship is “in orbit”
SpaceX decided to attempt the orbital insertion burn of Ship 41, following an assessment of an early engine shutdown during ascent.
The orbital insertion burn will ignite a single Raptor 3 engine to circularize the Starship’s orbit at an altitude of approximately 170 miles (275 kilometers).
The orbital insertion burn must occur at T+25 minutes 17 seconds.
Ship 41 reaches space, its orbit questionable
Ship 41 completed its first engine burn to reach space. One of the spacecraft’s Raptor 3 engines unexpectedly shut down prematurely, but the ship was able to compensate to complete its engine burn.
SpaceX technicians are evaluating next steps regarding the engine problem and whether the mission will continue into orbit.
Booster 21 makes a landing over the Gulf
Booster 21 completed its landing above its landing target in the Gulf. The upper stage of the ship continues to burn to reach space.
Separation of steps completed
After 2 minutes and 34 seconds of flight, Starship successfully executed a hot stage to separate Super Heavy Booster 21 from Ship 41. Booster 21 will now perform a boostback burn while Ship 41 continues to orbit.
Takeoff!
Takeoff!
SpaceX’s spacecraft has passed the Starbase tower and is on its way to space. Liftoff occurred at 8:49 a.m. EDT (12:49 p.m. GMT).
Opt for the propellant charge
SpaceX has begun loading propellant aboard the Flight 14 Starship rocket. Liftoff is currently counting down at around 8:49 a.m. EDT (12:49 p.m. GMT).
Opt for the propellant charge. Teams will soon begin loading Starship with approximately 12 million pounds of liquid oxygen and liquid methane. Targeting launches at 7:48 a.m. CT https://t.co/abZvBCJAm5September 28, 2026
T-1 hour before launch
SpaceX’s spacecraft is just 1 hour away from the 75-minute launch window opening to blast off on its first orbital attempt.
Launch is scheduled for no earlier than 8:49 a.m. EDT (12:49 GMT) this morning (September 28) from Pad 2 at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, according to a SpaceX post This morning.
The mission is expected to last up to 10 hours, as Starship completes up to six orbits around Earth before performing deorbit maneuvers. If successful, it will be the first time Starship has been in orbit and a major breakthrough for SpaceX’s Starship program.
Starship’s 14th flight is scheduled to launch on Monday, September 28. The 75-minute launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. CT. Live coverage of the mission begins approximately 35 minutes before launch → https://t.co/uQKQvgaTmJSeptember 27, 2026
Starship Flight 14’s wet dress rehearsal is happening now
Image credit: SpaceX
Image credit: SpaceX
Image credit: SpaceX
The sun rose over SpaceX’s massive spacecraft before the rocket’s Flight 14 launch and its first attempt to reach orbit. The company completed stacking Starship’s Booster 21 and Ship 41 yesterday (Sept. 23) and is preparing to conduct a series of tests and launch simulations known as wet dress rehearsals.
“Sunrise at Starbase,” SpaceX said in an article on
Monday’s 75-minute launch window opens at 8:15 a.m. EDT (12:15 GMT). Instead of the roughly one-hour mission duration of previous Starship suborbital launches, Flight 14’s orbital jaunt, if all goes according to plan, is expected to last nearly 10 hours.
Today’s wet dress rehearsal, which involves refueling Starship on the launch pad for a full countdown simulation, is expected to conclude later this morning.
SpaceX stacks massive Starship rocket ahead of first orbital launch attempt (video)
Sunrise at Starbase. Opportunistic testing of the full stack is planned before the launch of Flight 14, which is scheduled for Monday, September 28, pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/VnwI5v4eXQSeptember 23, 2026
The ship is stacked on the Starbase pedestal
We’re just under a week away from the next launch of SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket. The company is targeting a 75-minute window that opens at 8:15 a.m. EDT (12:15 GMT) on Monday, September 28 for the Starship Flight 14 test launch liftoff and the vehicle’s first attempt to reach orbit.
SpaceX transported the mission’s Super Heavy booster (Booster 21) to Pad 2 at the company’s Starbase, Texas, earlier this week, where its ship upper stage (Ship 41) was also delivered last night.
The two floors are now stacked, according to NASA Space Flightahead of a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) which is expected to take place THURSDAY (September 24). EspaceX announced the September 28 target of Flight 14 last week, although the mission has not yet received regulatory approval for launch.
Flight 14 is set to be the first time Starship has been in orbit and is expected to last much longer than previous flights – about nine hours longer than the spacecraft’s previous one-hour suborbital hops. Both Booster 21 and Ship 41 are intended for soft landings at sea; Super Heavy, after stage separation, and Ship after about six complete orbits, according to SpaceX Flight 14 missions page.
Gn bussni
