SpaceX's 1st orbital Starship launch could happen in September
What's the story
SpaceX is gearing up for the next launch of its massive Starship rocket. The company recently conducted a single-engine static fire test with its Ship 41 vehicle, the upper stage set to fly on Starship's upcoming Flight 14 mission. As the name implies, this will be Starship's 14th test flight but also its first orbital launch if everything goes according to plan.
Test details
Starship conducted a static fire test for deorbiting
The recent engine burn was a preparation for the upcoming orbital mission.
"Starship completed a single engine static fire demonstrating a deorbit burn for upcoming orbital missions," SpaceX announced in an X post.
The video shared by the company shows Ship 41 at its Massey's test site near the Starbase facility in South Texas, igniting one of its six Raptor 3 engines for around 15 seconds.
Extended test
Full 6-engine static fire was also completed
Following the single-engine test, SpaceX performed a full six-engine static fire on Thursday.
The burn lasted some 60 seconds, as shown in footage from NASASpaceFlight.com.
With these tests complete, SpaceX could be gearing up for Flight 14's launch sometime in early to mid-September.
However, there are still several pre-launch activities to be done before the company declares them launch-ready.
Mission upgrades
Flight 14 will be another upgraded Starship mission
Flight 14 will be Starship's third launch of 2026 and the third with the upgraded "Version 3" (V3) of the vehicle. SpaceX unveiled this version in May.
The company is also modifying a Starship V3 for docking with NASA's Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis III mission to Earth orbit next year.
Lunar mission
NASA has contracted SpaceX for lunar landing during Artemis IV
NASA has contracted SpaceX as one of two commercial moon lander providers for the Artemis program.
The agency plans to land astronauts on the Moon's surface using a Starship lunar landing vehicle during the Artemis IV mission in late 2028.
This partnership highlights SpaceX's growing role in space exploration and its capabilities as a launch provider.
Recovery strategy
SpaceX will aim for soft ocean splashdown of Ship 41
SpaceX had initially planned to attempt a return-to-launch-site recovery for Ship 41.
However, company founder and CEO Elon Musk recently said that this milestone will likely happen "in a few months."
Instead of a return-to-launch-site recovery, Ship 41 will probably try a soft ocean splashdown at the end of its flight. Its Super Heavy counterpart, Booster 21, is also expected to do the same after their respective flights.