As of this writing, less than 24 hours remain in Starship’s 14th flight test (IFT-14). A sigh of relief, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX the final approval for Flight 14 yesterday (September 26, 2026).
Flight 14 was originally scheduled for Thursday, September 24. However, SpaceX couldn’t satisfy the FAA over public safety concerns for the orbital launch, and the flight license was delayed.
The FAA had previously granted the environmental clearance for the Starship upper stage landing catch. However, SpaceX changed plans, as this wasn’t enough to conduct the Flight 14 Starship launch.
The Starship upper stage will aim for orbital entry. Depending on its reentry trajectory, it will either land in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean.
Starship Flight 14 is also important for SpaceX, as the company will attempt to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit for the first time.
Update: Watch Flight 14 Starship launch live streams and get live updates
Flight 14 Launch Rehearsal
Although SpaceX couldn’t launch Starship on September 24, Musk’s company at least conducted a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) test on both Starship 41 and Super Heavy Booster 21 (the upper and lower stages for Flight 14, respectively).
Launch rehearsal complete ahead of Starship Flight 14 pic.twitter.com/h5LBYyBqi4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 24, 2026
The success of the final WDR test on Flight 14 Starship proves its flight readiness.
This vital test also confirms the integrity of the propellant load infrastructure at the Starbase launch site (storage tanks, pipelines, etc.) and the proper functioning of the Quick Disconnect (QD) arm that loads propellant onto the ship.
While waiting for regulatory approval throughout the week, SpaceX converted this wait time into a final testing opportunity. It was a rare opportunity to test a fully stacked vehicle (Starship mounted on Super Heavy).
Flight 14 WDR test was performed on the Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2) as the launch tower Chopsticks held the fully stacked Starship. During the WDR test, the water deluge system was also triggered for a few seconds.
Ahead of the launch rehearsal, SpaceX also tested forward and aft flap actuations on Ship 41 on September 23.
Flight 14 Destacking and Restacking
WDR wasn’t the only final test that SpaceX performed on Flight 14 Starship. It was first stacked on OLP-2 (aka OLM-2) on September 23 in preparation for launch the next day (which didn’t happen, as we’ve explained above).
Surprisingly, SpaceX destacked Starship after the WDR test. The destacking (unmounting Ship 41 from Booster 21) took place on Friday, September 25.
Interestingly, no outsider has an idea why SpaceX destacked it after the WDR. Most probably, Starship needed minor technical fixes after the intense launch rehearsal.
However, SpaceX restacked Ship 41 onto the booster atop the OLP-2 yesterday (Saturday, September 26). The third Starship is now ready for Flight 14 orbital launch.
Eliminating a Scrub
With all the final tests this past week, SpaceX tried to minimize the chances of a scrub (holding off the flight at the last moment).
Vehicles used in Flight 14 are the third iteration of Starship V3. The first two V3 Starship flights were scrubbed on the first attempt (Flight 12 scrub and Flight 13 scrub).
If Flight 14 Starship successfully flies on the first attempt, it will be another milestone for the Starship V3 generation.
Update: Watch Flight 14 Starship launch live streams and get live updates
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- Flight 15 catch, Starlink V3, SI ($1T revenue): Key takeaways from Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX) Q3 2026 Earnings Call
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- Starship 40 joins three other ships inside SpaceX’s Megabay at Starbase, it’s time for some serious data collection
 approval from the FAA. Get the complete details on the launch rehearsal and other pre-launch tests (videos).){kind=link}