SpaceX (SPCX) has entered the pre-launch testing phase of its next Starship launch-and-landing test (IFT-14).
Yesterday (August 19), SpaceX moved Starship 41 from the production site to the pre-launch testing area. This Starbase location is known as the Massey’s Outpost.
Late evening (August 19, around 11:06 PM CDT), SpaceX conducted a successful single-engine static fire test on Ship 41. According to Elon Musk’s aerospace company, this static-fire test demonstrates a deorbit burn (video below).
Spacecraft need a specific amount of thrust in the opposite direction of their orbit to push the vehicle towards Earth’s gravity (deorbit burn). This allows a smooth reentry to the atmosphere.
SpaceX wrote in its Flight 14 update:
Starship completed a single engine static fire demonstrating a deorbit burn for upcoming orbital missions.
Starship completed a single engine static fire demonstrating a deorbit burn for upcoming orbital missions pic.twitter.com/vVI6giAlCM
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 20, 2026
Static fire tests are performed while the space vehicle is stationary and tied to a test stand. These tests are performed to verify the engine’s and the vehicle’s integrity under extreme thrust and temperature conditions.
SpaceX’s official statement also confirms that in Flight 14, the upper stage Ship 41 will attempt to reach orbit. All previous Starship flights have been suborbital.
Starship Flight 14 Schedule
At this time, there is no definitive timeline for the Flight 14 Starship launch test. The timeline depends on whether the pre-launch tests demonstrate flight readiness of the upper stage Ship 41 and the lower stage Booster 21 Super Heavy rocket.
Today’s Ship 41 static fire test was the first major pre-flight test. The upper stage has yet to undergo a 6-engine static-fire test. Actually, the 2nd-stage Starship has a total of 6 engines (3 sea-level and 3-vacuum-level).
The lower/1st-stage Super Heavy Booster 21 also has to undergo a set of cryogenic pressure-proof and static-fire tests to demonstrate its flight readiness.
If SpaceX successfully completes the tests in the next couple of weeks, the Flight 14 Starship launch-and-landing-catch test (IFT-14) should be expected no earlier than the 1st week of September 2026.
As soon as the pre-flight tests are complete, SpaceX will announce the final date for the launch.
Flight 14: Starship Landing Catch
During the Q2 2026 SpaceX Earnings Call, the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, revealed that in Flight 14, SpaceX will attempt to catch the upper stage of the Starship with the launch tower arms (Chopsticks).
In the previous two V3 flights, SpaceX primarily deployed dummy satellites, Dodger Dogs, and camera-equipped Starlink V3 satellites (Flight 13). In both flights, the deployment from the Starship payload bay was flawless.
The upcoming Flight 14 launch and landing test (IFT-14) will be unique in another way:
SpaceX has previously caught the Super Heavy booster multiple times. It’s going to be the first time SpaceX will attempt to catch the upper stage ship on its way back to Earth.
SpaceX’s first attempt to catch Starship with the tower will likely take place around Starship flights 13 to 15, depending on how well the V3 flights perform pic.twitter.com/8eNJgsHmpl
— SMX 🇺🇸 (@iam_smx) November 23, 2025
Starbase Flight 14 Preparation Updates
This will be the 14th time that SpaceX will fly a Starship from its launch and landing-catch site in the City of Starbase, Texas.
Both of these Flight 14 1st and 2nd stages belong to the V3 generation of Starship prototype testing vehicles. SpaceX has developed and is producing these vehicles at its Starbase production site in Texas.
To accommodate testing of the new V3 Starship, SpaceX has built a new test structure. This structure supports the upper-stage Starship spacecraft during testing and for erection (see video above).
SpaceX disassembled the orbital Pad 1 launch tower chopstick arms. This is perhaps done to upgrade the Chopsticks to catch the upper-stage Starship on Flight 14, as we’ve discussed above. This maintenance may also be due to a defect found in the catch arms.
However, the last two V3 Starship flights have been launched from the Pad 2 launch mount. SpaceX might use Pad 1 for the Flight 14 launch.
SpaceX is also making good progress with the construction of the Gigabay at Starbase.
Stay tuned for future updates on Starship and SpaceX. Follow us on:
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