SpaceX Eyes Sept. 22 for Starship’s First Orbital Flight

SpaceX announced Sept. 22 as the target date for Starship’s first orbital flight from SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas, within a 75‑minute launch window opening at 8:15 a.m. EDT. The mission, which will deploy 26 Starlink satellites and last about 10 hours, would mark Starship’s first voyage to orbit after a string of suborbital flights. If successful, the flight tests orbital capability and recovery of the first-stage booster (which is expected to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico without a tower catch), moving toward a fully reusable system and paving the way for future milestones like in‑orbit refueling and expanded Starlink deployment.