SpaceX has already built the world’s largest rocket with its Starship and will attempt to put that giant vehicle into orbit for the first time today (September 28). But if you’re hoping to watch the historic launch yourself, you’ll need to know exactly where and when to tune in. We have all the details you need below. Starship’s first orbital launch, the SpaceX Flight 14 test flight, is scheduled to launch from the company’s Starbase test range in South Texas no earlier than September 28. Takeoff is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT). You can follow the mission live on our Starship Flight 14 launch updates page. Flight 14 will mark the 14th Starship test flight for SpaceX and the third Starship flight this year. It follows SpaceX’s success with Starship Flight 13 in July, which the company touted as the smoothest landing on a ship’s upper stage to date; So smooth, in fact, that the ship splashed down and floated for weeks, allowing SpaceX to recover it from the sea for study at Starbase. But now it’s time for the more than 400-foot-tall (121-meter) Starship to reach orbit, a feat SpaceX must accomplish if it wants to land NASA’s Artemis astronauts. on the moon with a ship by 2028. Here’s what you need to know: What time does SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 launch? SpaceX conducts a wet dress rehearsal with its Starship megarocket on September 24, 2026, keeping it on track for a planned September 28 launch. (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is currently aiming to launch Starship Flight 14 no earlier than 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT) on Monday, September 28. But it is possible that the launch could happen up to more than an hour later, depending on conditions on the Starbase platform. You May Like Starship Flight 14 actually has a 75-minute window to launch, so its exact time could change a little later if bad weather or a technical issue delays the countdown. That means the launch could occur any time between 8:15 a.m. EDT and 9:30 a.m. EDT (1215-1330 GMT). The official SpaceX launch livestream will begin approximately 30 minutes before liftoff. NOTE: Unlike previous Starship flights, which lasted about an hour, Flight 14 will last almost 10 hours due to its orbital nature. SpaceX may also have up to two launch backup days, September 29 and 30, but launch times for those days are expected to be the same. Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look at the mega rocket. Can I watch the launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14? Watch it live! SpaceX Starship megarocket launches into orbit for the first time – YouTube Watch On Yes, of course, you’ll be able to watch SpaceX launch its Starship Flight 14 orbital test flight. The company will host a live webcast of the launch, but you can also choose where to watch it. What to read next The SpaceX livestream begins 30 minutes before liftoff (as mentioned above) and will be available through the SpaceX Space.com will simulcast the SpaceX Flight 14 launch webcast on this page, as well as our homepage and YouTube channel. A program prior to the launch of Starship on the platform. (Image credit: SpaceX) If you can’t wait until September 28 to see live views of Starship Flight 14, you can tune in right now on NASASpaceflight, which has 24/7 live views of SpaceX’s Starship platforms at Starbase. The NASASpaceflight Flight 14 launch webcast will begin on September 28 at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 GMT), approximately four hours before launch. NASASpaceflight has many cameras placed around Starbase and the company usually shares close-up video views and live commentary for pre-flight activities. SpaceX Starship Flight 14 – Launch and Booster Landing – LAUNCH STREAM – Watch on YouTube In-Person Launch Options As I’ve shared in previous Starship launch guides, SpaceX doesn’t have an official site to watch the Starship launch near Starbase, but there are several places where you can watch the liftoff in person. For first-time viewers, I’ve always recommended watching a Starship launch from the rocky beach near the Cameron County Amphitheater at Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island. The park is across the bay from Starbase and draws a large crowd, offering a view of the ships in the bay framing the imposing Starship launch pad. It’s 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the launch site as the crow flies, and the park has restrooms. Traffic getting to South Padre Island can be heavy on launch days if you’re not staying in a hotel on the island (which is easier in my experience). If that’s your situation, you can choose to watch from around Port Isabel. And you can always grab a bite to eat at Hopper Haus, a SpaceX-themed bar that makes a great burger. There is also a coastal stretch of Highway 48 between Brownsville and Port Isabel, 6 to 8 miles (10 to 13 km) from the launch site, where you can stop during the day to watch the launch. It’s right next to the road, so you won’t find amenities like bathrooms there. You can learn more about it here: SpaceLaunchSchedule.com. If you want a closer look (and have the cash for a $200 ticket, though kids under 17 pay $40), you can camp at Rocket Ranch. The campground is 6.1 km (3.8 mi) from the Starbase launch site and your ticket allows you to camp there for one day and one night. You have two viewing locations available, the ‘Advanced’ offering the closest view and ‘unrivaled media service’, so you can stay connected. The other location is a little further from the campsite itself. Ticket includes bus transportation from the ranch camp to a viewing site and return for a launch attempt. I haven’t visited this ranch, but I’ve been including it here as an option if you want to try it. (If so, let us know!) Longer four-day camping packages are also available. Be sure to read Rocket Ranch’s full FAQ for more details on the site. How long is SpaceX spacecraft flight 14? A diagram showing the profile of SpaceX Flight 14’s Starship mission. The flight should last almost 10 hours. (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 orbital test flight will last just over 9 hours and 50 minutes and will mark the first time a Starship has reached orbit, if all goes according to plan. It will also be the third flight of SpaceX’s new Starship Version 3. “Flight testing to this point has intentionally flown passively safe suborbital trajectories to maximize public safety while allowing for maximum learning,” SpaceX wrote in a mission overview. “By entering orbit, the next phase of Starship development can begin to make it fully and rapidly reusable.” Starship Flight 14 will launch from SpaceX’s newest Pad 2 at Starbase on a trajectory that should take it to an orbit nearly 171 miles (275 kilometers) above Earth. If all goes well, SpaceX hopes to orbit Earth six times with Starship before attempting a water landing. Slide to scroll horizontally SpaceX Starship Flight 14 Launch Timeline TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) EVENT T-0:50:00 Flight Director Surveys for Refueling T-0:36:33 Super Heavy Liquid Oxygen Loading Begins T-0:35:00 Super Heavy Liquid Methane Loading Begins T-0:34:13 Ship Liquid Oxygen Loading Begins T-0:34:11 Ship’s liquid methane loading begins T-00:21:40 Raptor engine cooling begins on ship and Super Heavy T-00:02:50 Super Heavy refueling completes T-00:02:10 Ship refueling completes T-00:0:30 GO flight director for launch survey T-00:00:17 Flame deflector activation T-00:00:03 Start of thruster firing sequence T-00:00:00 Liftoff (“Thrill guaranteed,” SpaceX says) Swipe to scroll horizontally Starship Flight 14 Mission Timeline TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) FLIGHT EVENT T+00:00:00 Liftoff! T+00:00:58 Ship/Super Heavy reach “Max Q” T+00:02:20 Super Heavy Main Engine Shutdown T+00:02:22 Ship Raptor Engine Hot Separation/Ignition T+00:02:27 Super Heavy Booster Ignition Startup T+00:03:07 Super Heavy Booster Ignition Engine Shutdown T+00:06:36 Super Heavy Landing Ignition Starter T+00:07:01 Super Hard Landing Ignition Shutdown (followed by splashdown) T+00:08:11 Spacecraft Engine Shutdown T+00:25:17 Spacecraft Orbital Engine Ignition Begins T+00:25:36 Spacecraft Orbital Engine Ignition Shutdown T+00:34:07 Payload Deployment Demonstration Begins T+01:04:39 Payload Deployment Complete T+08:52:37 Deorbit Power-Up Begins T+08:52:48 Deorbit Power-Off T+09:28:56 Ship Re-Entry T+09:47:29 Transonic Ship T+09:48:07 Subsonic Ship T+09:50:11 Landing Start T+09:50:13 Landing Reversal T+09:50:21 Landing burns three or two engines T+09:50:28 Landing burns two to one engine T+09:50:30 “An exciting landing!” says SpaceX. The Starship Flight 13 test in July deployed Starlink V3 internet satellites, but on a suborbital trajectory, so they soon re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. Flight 14 will carry the first operational Starlink V3 satellites to be deployed into orbit. “Starship will put 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit for the first time, which aims to greatly expand network capacity and user speeds,” SpaceX wrote. “Each Starlink V3 satellite will add 1 Tbps of capacity to the constellation, for a total of 26 Tbps of added capacity on this mission alone. That’s ~10 times the capacity compared to a single launch of Starlink V2 mini satellites on Falcon 9.” The upper stage of Flight 14’s ship is expected to deploy Starlink satellites through a Pez dispenser-type gate beginning approximately 34 minutes after liftoff. The entire process should take about 30 minutes. SpaceX will not attempt to catch either the giant Starship Super Heavy booster or the ship’s upper stage on this flight. The Super Heavy first stage is expected to make a soft-water landing in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Ship’s upper stage splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile. This marks a change from previous flights, in which the ship’s upper stage landed in the Indian Ocean. What if Starship Flight 14 can’t launch on September 28? As with every launch, there is a chance that something will come up on launch day that will prevent takeoff. In that case, SpaceX appears to have at least two days of backup in case it can’t launch on September 28. Officials say alternative launch dates are available on Tuesday, September 29 and Wednesday, September 30, if needed. Those dates are alternative beach closure dates for Boca Chica Beach, which is a beach near Starbase, and a good indicator of when SpaceX plans to fly. You’ll be able to follow SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 mission on Space.com as it happens. Be sure to come back on launch day for complete coverage of Starship Flight 14.
