SpaceX targets first Starship orbital test on September 22

On September 15, SpaceX announced its intention to launch the Starship on September 22 for its first orbital test flight. This flight would be Starship's 14th test and represent a significant advancement in the rocket's development since its previous test in July, which achieved a suborbital trajectory. The upcoming mission, pending regulatory approval, aims to place Starship into Earth's orbit, marking a pivotal milestone.

This would enable SpaceX to conduct a longer-duration flight test and deploy the first batch of Starlink V3 satellites. The mission, if successful, is projected to last approximately 10 hours. During this time, Starship will ascend to an altitude of about 275 km above Earth's surface, completing roughly six orbits before making a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

SpaceX's objectives for this test include evaluating the booster's launch, separation, boostback, and splashdown procedures, thus propelling the company towards its ambition of achieving a fully reusable orbital launch system.