SpaceX completes Starship rehearsal ahead of planned first orbital test
The flight is also set to carry the first next-generation Starlink V3 satellites slated to join the constellation.
SpaceX has completed a wet dress rehearsal for Starship ahead of its 14th test flight, a step toward the vehicle's planned orbital debut. The exercise included loading propellant, powering up the rocket and checking its systems, but it did not involve a launch. Flight 14 is scheduled for September 28, with a 75-minute window starting at 8:15AM Eastern Time. The plan calls for Starship to make six trips around Earth over 10 hours before coming down in the ocean. It is also set to carry 26 Starlink V3 satellites, the first next-generation models slated to join SpaceX's satellite internet constellation.
Why it matters
The plan links Starship’s first orbital test with a first step for the next generation of SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation. That makes the flight both a test of the vehicle and a delivery opportunity for the network, though neither milestone has happened yet.
Series Starship first orbital flight
- SpaceX Starship reaches low Earth orbit on 14th flight
- SpaceX Starship hits orbit for first time and deploys Starlink satellites
- SpaceX to attempt Starship’s first orbital flight with Starlink V3 satellites
- SpaceX completes Starship rehearsal ahead of planned first orbital test
- SpaceX sets date for Starship’s first orbital mission with Starlink payload
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