Flight 14: Starship reaches orbit for the first time

Starship Flight 14 lifted off from Pad 2 at Starbase at 12:48 UTC on September 28, 2026 with Ship 41 and Booster 21. It was the first Starship flight to reach orbit. All 13 earlier flights flew suborbital paths.

Ship 41 lost one Raptor Vacuum engine during ascent. SpaceX polled go for orbit, and Ship 41 completed its orbital insertion burn. It then deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites.

SpaceX skipped the planned long coast and brought Ship 41 down early. The ship splashed down north of Hawaii about three hours after liftoff. The original plan targeted a splashdown off Chile after nearly ten hours.

Booster 21 lost one center engine during ascent. It still completed its boostback and landing burns and splashed down on target in the Gulf. No tower catch was planned for this flight.

SpaceX has not published a post-flight summary. More detail on the engine losses, the early return, and the condition of both vehicles is still pending. This report will be updated as it is confirmed.

NASASpaceflight reports Ship 42 and Booster 22 are the Flight 15 pair and that Booster 22 is set for the first V3 booster catch attempt. SpaceX has not announced a Flight 15 date.