SpaceX moved Super Heavy Booster 21 to the launch pad at Starbase on Monday, September 21, as the company prepares for Starship Flight 14, now targeting September 28.
The company documented the rollout in photos showing the towering booster making its way to the pad. The move marks the booster’s first trip to the pad for this campaign, following weeks of testing on the ship side. Booster 21 is the first stage slated to fly Flight 14, which SpaceX has framed as Starship’s first planned orbital mission after earlier tests flew intentional suborbital trajectories.
The flight is set to carry 26 Starlink V3 satellites to orbit, a first for the Starship program. SpaceX slipped the target to September 28 last week, roughly six days after the September 22 window the FAA had listed, with the date still pending regulatory approval.
A pad rollout typically precedes final integrated testing, including stacking with the ship and a possible static fire of the booster’s 33 Raptor engines. If the schedule holds, Flight 14 would be the first time a Starship booster and ship fly a full orbital profile together. SpaceX has not said when those milestones are scheduled, or whether the September 28 target will hold through the final test campaign.
Musk said Monday that Starship Flight 14 will lift off in seven days carrying Starlink V3 satellites for operational use, the first Starship orbital launch to do so. “In 7 days, the first Starship launch to orbit will be carrying Starlink V3 satellites intended for operational use,” he wrote.
For now, the Booster 21 rollout puts Flight 14 hardware on the pad and into its final preflight phase, with the next visible milestone the full Starship stack coming together on the mount. The September 28 window leaves a week for SpaceX to complete the remaining preflight checklist, assuming regulatory approval lands in time.
Flight 14 also serves as one more rehearsal before SpaceX attempts to catch the ship with Mechzilla’s arms at Starbase on the next flight, instead of another soft ocean landing. Musk said the last ocean touchdown simulated a tower catch and was accurate enough that it would have succeeded.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. — Buying a new Tesla? Click here to save $1,000 USD, while supporting independent news.
Help support us by shopping on Amazon here.
Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent media!
