FAA Clears SpaceX For Starship 14 Flight

Key Points:

• The FAA has authorized SpaceX to conduct the first orbital launch of its Starship-Super Heavy system, targeting deployment of 26 next-generation Starlink satellites from Starbase, Texas, on Sept. 28 between 8:15 and 9:30 a.m. EDT.
• The mission aims to transition Starship from suborbital tests to orbit, with the spacecraft expected to orbit Earth six times at about 171 miles altitude before deploying the Starlink V3 satellites over 30 minutes.
• After orbit operations and heat shield inspections, Starship will perform a deorbit burn and splash down in the Pacific Ocean, marking a nearly 10-hour mission and the first ocean landing following orbital flight.
• The launch follows a July 24 suborbital flight that ended with an ocean landing, delaying plans for a return-to-launch-pad landing until at least Flight 15, while SpaceX focuses on achieving orbital insertion on Flight 14.
• NASA, which contracted SpaceX for lunar crew transport under the Artemis program, is closely monitoring Starship’s development as it prepares for crewed Moon missions starting in 2028, with Blue Origin also involved in upcoming lunar lander demonstrations.