Starship Flight 14 Set to Attempt SpaceX's First Full Orbital Insertion

SpaceX filed an application with the FCC on August 31, 2026 confirming September 15, 2026 as the target launch date for Starship's 14th integrated flight test (Booster 21 + Ship 41) — the first Starship flight designed to reach and hold actual orbital velocity rather than fly the suborbital arcs used on every prior test. The mission would deploy roughly 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites (each rated around 1 Tbps of downlink capacity), matching what Musk told investors on SpaceX's Aug 4 earnings call. Ship 41 completed single- and six-engine static fires at Massey's Test Site (Aug 19, 21) and Booster 21 completed a full 33-engine static fire at Pad 2 (Aug 28) plus a chopsticks lift-and-catch tower rehearsal (Aug 29); remaining steps are stacking the vehicles and final FAA sign-off. On Sept 3-4 the FAA published a Finding of No Significant Impact clearing additional Pacific Ocean contingency landing zones for Ship 41, giving it backup splashdown options beyond the primary Indian Ocean recovery plan. By Sept 7, both vehicles had completed their required single-vehicle tests and moved into final checkout — Ship 41 in Mega Bay 2, Booster 21 in Mega Bay 1, with Flight Termination System placards visible on both — with a Starlink V3 payload load into Ship 41 and vehicle rollout/stacking still to come; the Sept 15 date remains an unofficial planning-slide target rather than a confirmed SpaceX date. Update: the latest CADENA/COMPASS Space Operations planning slides, as of Sept 11, have pushed the unofficial NET target to September 18, 2026 -- still not an official SpaceX date, and prior slides have shown both Sept 15 and Sept 18.