Scheduled for (UTC) 2026-09-28 12:48:59
Scheduled for (local) 2026-09-28 07:48:59 (CDT)
Launch Window (UTC) 2026-09-28 12:15 to 2026-09-28 13:30 (1 hour 15 minutes)
Launch site Pad 2, Starbase, Texas, USA.
Booster B21
Booster landing Gulf of Mexico
Ship S41
Ship landing Pacific Ocean
Payload 26 Starlink v3 satellites
Mass unknown
Target orbit LEO, 275 km

Webcasts

Stream Link
Space Affairs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqSGeLDIG-0
Everyday Astronaut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeKY53pwArw
Spaceflight Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyQU5NdpfXQ
NASASpaceflight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gDxG-pm1Zo
Avid Space https://www.youtube.com/@LabPadre/streams
The Launch Pad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW5RDUvCLnQ
VideoFromSpace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxHNK4UeVP4
International Rocket Launches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmkHjDeECps
SpaceX
The Space Devs https://www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 3rd launch of Starship version 3

☑️ 3rd launch from Pad 2

☑️ 65 days, 13:24:00 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 3rd Starship Full Stack launch this year, 14th overall

☑️ 113th SpaceX launch this year, 723rd overall (excluding Starship hops)

☑️ 113th SpaceX launch this year, 732nd overall (including Starship hops)

Mission Details

First orbital launch of Starship and first launch of an operational payload. Ship and Booster will not be caught but are planned to perform splashdowns at the end of their respective flights.

Starship will deliver 26 Starlink V3 satellites to orbit for the first time, which aim to greatly expand the network’s capacity and user speeds. Each Starlink V3 satellite will add 1 Tbps of capacity to the constellation, for a total of 26 Tbps of capacity added on this mission alone. That’s ~10x the capacity compared to a single launch of V2 mini Starlink satellites on Falcon 9.

Three of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heatshield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heatshield readiness for return to launch site on future missions.

Two tiles recovered from Ship 40 are planned to be reflown on Ship 41, marking the first tile reuse for Starship.

Timeline

Time Event
00:50:00 SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load
00:36:33 Booster LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway
00:35:00 Booster fuel (liquid methane) load underway
00:34:13 Ship LOX load underway
00:34:11 Ship fuel load underway
00:21:40 Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship
00:02:50 Booster propellant load complete
00:02:10 Ship propellant load complete
00:00:30 SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch
00:00:17 Flame diverter activation
00:00:03 Booster engine startup command
00:00:00 Excitement guaranteed
00:00:00 Liftoff
00:00:58 Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket)
00:02:20 Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off)
00:02:22 Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation)
00:02:27 Super Heavy boostback burn start
00:03:07 Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown
00:06:36 Super Heavy landing burn start
00:07:01 Super Heavy landing burn shutdown
00:08:11 Starship engine cutoff
00:25:17 Starship orbital insertion burn start
00:25:36 Starship orbital insertion burn shutdown
00:34:07 Payload deploy start
01:04:39 Payload deploy complete
08:52:37 Deorbit burn start
08:52:48 Deorbit burn shutdown
09:28:56 Starship entry
09:47:29 Starship is transonic
09:48:07 Starship is subsonic
09:50:11 Landing burn start
09:50:13 Landing flip
09:50:21 Landing burn 3 to 2 engines
09:50:28 Landing burn 2 to 1 engine
09:50:30 An exciting landing!

Link to Starship Dev thread

    • threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      You’re welcome!

      Yeah, it’s been a long time coming, a few years later than most of us probably expected. Now Starship can finally start being a useful LEO workhorse while they simultaneously iron out booster and ship reuse, and work towards propellant transfer for accessing higher energy orbits.

  • threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
    4·
    5 days ago

    Ship will deorbit after two orbits, not six. Splashdown location will be in the North Pacific.

    Deorbit will be around T+2:12:00, reentry around T+2:47:00, and splashdown around T+3:00:00.

  • threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
    3·
    5 days ago

    Satellite deployment:

    • ☑️ 35:06 Satellite 1 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 36:16 Satellite 2 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 37:22 Satellite 3 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 38:32 Satellite 4 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 39:37 Satellite 5 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 40:?? Satellite 6 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 41:54 Satellite 7 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 43:01 Satellite 8 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 44:14 Satellite 9 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 45:20 Satellite 10 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 46:28 Satellite 11 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 47:33 Satellite 12 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 48:43 Satellite 13 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 49:54 Satellite 14 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 51:01 Satellite 15 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 52:14 Satellite 16 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 53:15 Satellite 17 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 54:26 Satellite 18 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 55:29 Satellite 19 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 56:43 Satellite 20 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 57:47 Satellite 21 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 58:59 Satellite 22 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 1:00:03 Satellite 23 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 1:01:38 Satellite 24 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 1:04:10 Satellite 25 of 26 deployment confirmed.
    • ☑️ 1:04:22 Satellite 26 of 26 deployment confirmed.