SpaceX has cleared a key pre-launch hurdle for Starship's next test flight. The company completed a wet dress rehearsal on September 24, loading the rocket with propellant and running through a full countdown sequence without actually launching, according to Engadget. SpaceX announced the milestone on X.
The rehearsal puts Starship on track for its 14th test flight, scheduled for September 28. The launch window opens at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time and lasts 75 minutes. This will be the vehicle's first orbital flight after multiple suborbital tests.
If successful, Starship will orbit Earth six times over about 10 hours before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the ocean. The mission will also carry 26 Starlink V3 satellites, the first next-generation models to join SpaceX's satellite internet constellation.