Sept. 25, 2026 · The rehearsal worked: Flight 14 hit a simulated T-0, the beach is back open, and only the FAA license stands between Starbase and Monday

September 25, 2026

The rehearsal worked: Flight 14 hit a simulated T-0, the beach is back open, and only the FAA license stands between Starbase and Monday

T-3 days: the wet dress rehearsal is complete with a simulated T-0 reached Thursday; only the FAA license stands between Starbase and Monday's 7:15 AM CT window — The last test is in the books. Sources: NASASpaceflight (Sept. 24); SpaceX; City of Starbase.

Yesterday's lead ended on an honest hold: SpaceX hadn't published a rehearsal result, and we said we wouldn't call the test complete until someone did. NASASpaceflight, whose cameras were on Pad 2 all day, has now called it: "STARSHIP FLIGHT 14: WDR complete," with teams reaching a simulated T-0 during Thursday's wet dress rehearsal, per NSF's September 24 post. The city's own signals corroborate. Mayor's Order No. 2026-22 carried an alternate closure window for today, Friday the 25th from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and as of Friday morning the city never activated it: the beach-access page reads "Boca Chica Beach is open" and "No Road Delay." A rehearsal that needs a second day uses its alternate date. This one didn't.

What stands between the stack and Monday is paperwork, and the paperwork is visibly moving. SpaceX's launch page, re-rendered this morning, still carries the "pending regulatory approval" caveat with the target unchanged: no earlier than Monday, September 28, window 7:15 to 8:30 AM Central. The FAA has already placed a temporary flight restriction over Starbase from September 23 through October 7, up to 10,000 feet, per Spaceflight Now: the standard pre-launch airspace step, done before the license itself is announced. And the watch we've run all week is still live: the launch-day closure order has not posted. The newest executed order on the city page is still the rehearsal order, and with a Monday attempt it could land any hour, most likely today or over the weekend. (Update, Friday evening: it posted. Mayor's Order 2026-23 closes the beach and highway Monday morning.) If you're coming for the attempt, the viewing guide is current, and the city's text alerts (text BEACH to 866-513-3475) remain the fastest signal.

Sources: NASASpaceflight on Instagram (Sept. 24) — "WDR complete," simulated T-0 · SpaceX — Starship Flight 14 (re-checked Sept. 25) · City of Starbase — Beach and Road Access (re-checked Friday morning: beach open, no delays) · Spaceflight Now (Sept. 23) — the TFR, Sept. 23 to Oct. 7

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