SpaceX delays Starship Flight 14 to September 28 without any explanation

SpaceX has pushed back the launch of its next Starship test flight by six days, moving the mission from September 22 to September 28.The company has given no public explanation for the delay, with Flight 14 now targeting a launch window opening at 5:45 pm IST from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, US. The launch window is expected to remain open for 75 minutes.The mission is also still awaiting regulatory approval.The delay comes just days before what could be the most important test yet for Elon Musk's megarocket as Starship Flight 14 is designed to attempt the programme's first trip into Earth orbit. SpaceX's megarocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas. (Photo: AP) WHAT WILL STARSHIP FLIGHT 14 DO?Starship has flown 13 times since its first launch in April 2023, but none of those missions went into orbit. Flight 14 is supposed to change that.If all goes as planned, the spacecraft will travel to an altitude of about 275 kilometres and circle Earth roughly six times during a mission lasting nearly 10 hours. Starship will then re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, is expected to return to the Gulf of Mexico.The mission also has an important practical objective.Starship will deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, the first batch of these more powerful satellites intended to remain in orbit. This particular batch of satellites is designed to increase the capacity of SpaceX's growing Starlink internet network.WHY IS STARSHIP FLIGHT 14 IMPORTANT FOR MUSK?For Musk, Starship symbolises his ambition to set foot on Mars.SpaceX is developing it as a fully reusable system capable of carrying people and cargo to Earth orbit and, eventually, the Moon and Mars.Getting Starship into orbit would therefore mark a major shift from repeated flight testing towards proving that the vehicle can perform an actual orbital mission. An artist's concept of a lunar rover designed by SpaceX to be used for Artemis missions. (Photo: Nasa)Â The stakes behind Starship's performance also extend beyond SpaceX, playing a role in future Nasa missions.Nasa has selected a version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. The space agency is also working with SpaceX to develop Starship for Artemis-III and Artemis-IV.The previous Starship test in July reached space and deployed 20 upgraded Starlink V3 satellites, but it did not complete an orbit.The upper stage eventually splashed down in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy booster failed to complete its planned landing.Flight 14 is therefore another test, but a much bigger one.For SpaceX, the September 28 launch, assuming no further delay, is a chance to show that Starship can move from experimental flights towards becoming the reusable space vehicle Musk has long envisioned.- EndsPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 10:00 IST