September 12, 2026

Flight 14 slips to September 18, and now it has an actual launch window

Update (Sept. 15): the target has since moved to September 22; see the newer item.

The date moved again. Starship's fourteenth flight is now tracking no earlier than Friday, September 18, 2026 (correction Sept. 13: this item originally said Thursday; the 18th is a Friday), with, for the first time, a published launch window: 7:15–9:14 AM Central (12:15–14:14 UTC), from Pad 2 at Starbase, per an FAA operations-plan advisory that also lists September 19 as a backup with the same window. Next Spaceflight and Space Launch Schedule both carry the same target. That's the third move for this flight (September 30 → 15 → 18), and the pattern is normal: three-day slips this close in usually mean the vehicles need a bit more time. As of NASASpaceflight's September 8 report, Ship 41 and Booster 21 were still in the Mega Bays with flight-termination-system hardware being installed, not yet rolled out to the pad. Their test campaigns are done: Ship 41 ran a 60-second six-engine static fire August 21, and Booster 21 fired all 33 engines on August 28.

What hasn't changed is why this one matters: it's slated as the program's first orbital insertion, carrying roughly 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites, the first Starship flight with a live payload. No catch attempt this time: the booster targets a Gulf splashdown and the ship an ocean splashdown, with tower catches reserved for later flights. (Correction Sept. 16: this item originally said the ship targets the Indian Ocean; SpaceX's mission page has Ship 41 splashing down in the Pacific, west of Chile. Details in our September 16 item.)

The practical read for trip planners: still no closure orders as of tonight. We checked the City of Starbase's beach-and-road page this evening, and the newest mayoral order remains August 30. Orders typically post two to five days out, so if the 18th holds, expect them early next week. Tonight's only restrictions are two routine overnight road delays for hardware moves (Pad to Production 10:00 PM–2:00 AM; Production to Masseys 11:59 PM–4:00 AM), and Boca Chica Beach is open. Text BEACH to 866-513-3475 for the city's real-time alerts, and start with our launch viewing guide.

Sources: Next Spaceflight — Flight 14 (NET Sept. 18, window) · Space Launch Schedule — Flight 14 · NASASpaceflight — Starship update (Sept. 8) · Wikipedia — Starship flight test 14 · City of Starbase — Beach and Road Access (checked tonight)

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