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- Sep 28, 202692% CONFIDENCEfrom cnbc.com
Starship Reaches Orbit for the First Time on Flight 14
- Starship lifted off from Starbase at 7:48 a.m. CT on 28 September 2026, 33 minutes into a window that opened at 7:15, and reached orbit around 8:15 a.m. local time — the first time in 14 test flights, none of the 13 before it having been meant to[2][3]
- The FAA told CNBC it issued the “license authorization for the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Flight 14 launch and reentry operations” on 26 September, two days before launch[2]
- One of the six engines on the ship failed during ascent, and about 22 minutes into the flight SpaceX decided it was safe to carry on to orbit[3]
- SpaceX began releasing the 26 Starlink V3 satellites around 8:25 a.m. local time; three of them carry cameras to record data on Starship's heat shield[2][3]
- The Super Heavy booster made a “soft splashdown” off Starbase, simulating an offshore landing in the Gulf rather than a return to the launch tower[2][3]
- The flight plan is about six orbits at roughly 170 miles over 10 hours, ending in a Pacific splashdown off Chile; SpaceX built in points where Starship could abort its orbital trajectory and return safely[3]
- One Starship can carry 60 Starlink V3 satellites, about 20 times a Falcon 9 launch, and Starship is the only vehicle able to launch the larger V3 satellites[2][3]
- Starship is key to SpaceX's growth after its June IPO, the largest on record, which values it at about $2 trillion; it also underpins NASA's plan to land astronauts on the Moon, with an Orion docking test planned for Artemis III late next year[2][3]
- Before launch, Kalshi priced liftoff before 29 September at 55% and Polymarket put a launch by 30 September at 73%[4][5]
References 686% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 86%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 6 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-14spacex.com· Posted Sep 20, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026· 16% of score
CNBC[2] and NPR[3], 28 Sep 2026: liftoff at 7:48 a.m. CT from Starbase ("At 7:48 a.m. CT, Starship's Super Heavy booster ignited its 33 rocket engines"); Launch Library 2 records T-0 as 12:48:59 UTC, accurate to the second.
- [2]92%SpaceX launches its massive Starship rocket into orbit for the first time - CNBCcnbc.com· Published Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026 ✓· 17% of score
CNBC reports Starship "reached orbit around 8:15 a.m. local time" after a 7:48 a.m. local liftoff from Starbase on 28 September, with the FAA confirming the Flight 14 licence was issued on 26 September.
- [3]90%SpaceX's Starship launches on first orbital mission from Texas - NPRnpr.org· Published Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026· 17% of score
NPR: "At 7:48 a.m. CT, Starship's Super Heavy booster ignited its 33 rocket engines to send the spacecraft on its 14th flight", adding the ship's engine failure on ascent and the go for orbit about 22 minutes in.
- [4]80%Kalshi: SpaceX Starship 14th launch?kalshi.com· Added Sep 20, 2026· 17% of score
Kalshi runs a dated ladder on the 14th flight: before September 29 last traded at 55c and before September 30 at 70c, pricing a launch on or about September 28 as the likeliest single outcome while leaving real slip risk.
- [5]80%Polymarket: SpaceX Starship Flight Test 14polymarket.com· Added Sep 20, 2026· 17% of score
Polymarket prices the same flight launching by September 30 at 73% and by October 31 at 96%, independently supporting a late-September date.
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