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SpaceX · Starship · Test flight

Starship Flight 14

Starship Flight 14 lifted off from Starbase, Texas, at 12:48 UTC on Sep 28, 2026, and reached orbit for the first time. It released all 26 Starlink V3 satellites. After one of the ship’s engines shut down early, SpaceX cut the flight short and splashed the ship down north of Hawaii about three hours after launch.

Updated Sources (7)

FLEW SEP 28Reached orbit for the first timeLiftoff 12:48 UTC · 26 Starlink V3 satellites released · splashdown about 3 h 08 min laterSuccess

The result

Starship reached orbit for the first time. SpaceX called Flight 14 “the first orbital Starship flight and the first to deliver meaningful payload to orbit,” and Elon Musk posted: “First orbital flight of Starship successful!”[1][2]

One of the ship’s six engines, a Raptor vacuum engine, shut down early on the climb. The other five burned longer to make up for it, and about 25 minutes after launch a single sea-level engine relit to put the ship into orbit. All 26 Starlink V3 satellites were released, and SpaceX made contact with each one.[1][2]

“Out of an abundance of caution given the engine issue experienced during ascent, the flight control team decided to limit the duration spent on orbit,” SpaceX said. The ship made its first deorbit burn and splashed down on target in the North Pacific, north of Hawaii, about 3 hours 8 minutes after launch. The plan had been about six orbits and a splashdown off South America after about 9 hours 50 minutes.[1][3][4]

The booster also lost one of its 33 engines on the way up. It relit 31 of them to turn back and 11 for its landing burn, then splashed down in the Gulf about seven minutes after launch. SpaceX then set off its flight termination system as a planned test.[1][2]

What was Flight 14 trying to do?

It was the first time SpaceX aimed to put Starship into orbit, rather than on the suborbital arc every earlier flight followed.[1][5]

  1. 01Reach orbitA first for Starship: all 13 earlier flights followed a suborbital path.Met
  2. 02Release 26 Starlink V3 satellitesThe first real payload Starship left in orbit. SpaceX made contact with every satellite.Met
  3. 03Circle Earth about six timesSpaceX shortened the time in orbit after an engine shut down early on the climb.Not met
  4. 04Splash down in the PacificOn target, in a pre-cleared zone north of Hawaii, about 3 hours after launch instead of about 9 h 50 min.Partly met

The vehicle and the launch window

Booster
Booster 21
Ship
Ship 41
Launch site
Pad 2, Starbase, Texas
Window (UTC)
Sep 28 · 12:15–13:30
Liftoff
12:48 UTC
Payload
26 Starlink V3 satellites

Flight 14 timeline

  1. Liftoff from Pad 2. One of the booster’s 33 engines shuts down on the climb.Actual
  2. The booster’s engines cut off and the ship separates.About
  3. The booster splashes down in the Gulf; its flight termination system is then set off as a planned test.About
  4. One sea-level Raptor burns to put the ship into orbit, a first for Starship.About
  5. The 26 Starlink V3 satellites are released over about 30 minutes.About
  6. The ship’s first deorbit burn.About
  7. Landing flip and burn on three engines; splashdown on target in the North Pacific, north of Hawaii.Actual

Times in UTC. SpaceX gave the liftoff time and the order of events but not the later times; the approximate ones come from Spaceflight Now’s and Space.com’s coverage of the flight.

Why it matters for Mars

Reaching orbit is the first step of any trip to Mars. Starship also has to show it can be refilled with propellant in orbit, which SpaceX hasn’t done yet, and it can only leave for Mars in a Launch windowA launch window is the stretch of time, about every 26 months, when Earth and Mars line up so a spacecraft can reach Mars using the least fuel.More in the glossary.[6]

Mars progress1 of 6 steps done, 2 under way. Only dates that agencies and companies have announced count.How close are we? →

Questions

When was Starship Flight 14?

Sep 28, 2026, at 12:48 UTC (7:48 a.m. at Starbase, Texas). The launch window had opened at 12:15 UTC.

Did Starship Flight 14 reach orbit?

Yes. It was the first Starship to reach orbit, and it released all 26 Starlink V3 satellites it carried.

What went wrong on Flight 14?

One of the ship’s six engines shut down early on the climb. The other five made up for it, but SpaceX shortened the time in orbit as a precaution. One of the booster’s 33 engines also shut down.

When is the next Starship flight?

No date yet. SpaceX hasn’t announced when Flight 15 will fly. Elon Musk said on Sep 14 that SpaceX may try to catch the ship with the launch tower on Flight 15.

Sources

  1. SpaceX — Starship Flight 14Primary · checked Oct 2, 2026
  2. Space.com — SpaceX launches Starship into orbit for 1st timeSecondary · checked Oct 2, 2026
  3. Spaceflight Now — Starship returns to Earth, rocket splashes down north of Hawaii after three-hour flightSecondary · checked Oct 2, 2026
  4. SpacePolicyOnline — Starship achieves orbit for the first timeSecondary · checked Oct 2, 2026
  5. Spaceflight Now — Live coverage: SpaceX to launch first Starlink V3 satellites to orbit on StarshipSecondary · checked Oct 2, 2026
  6. Space.com — Starship just reached orbit for the 1st time. What’s next for the SpaceX megarocket?Secondary · checked Oct 2, 2026
  7. Space.com — SpaceX Flight 14 live updatesSecondary · checked Oct 2, 2026