Starship

12 logged · watching Orbit flight attempt

1. 

   Apr 2023Done

   First integrated flight

   Flight 1 left the pad as a stacked Starship and Super Heavy — the start of the flight-test program.

2. 

   Nov 2023Done

   First hot-staging

   Flight 2 completed a full-duration Super Heavy ascent and the first successful hot-stage separation at this scale.

3. 

   Nov 2023Done

   First Starship to space

   Ship 25 reached space on Flight 2 — the first time a Starship made it above the atmosphere.

4. 

   Jun 2024Done

   First controlled splashdowns

   Flight 4 returned both stages under control: Super Heavy in the Gulf and Starship in the Indian Ocean.

5. 

   Oct 2024Done

   Booster catch · V1

   Flight 5 caught Booster 12 in the Pad 1 chopsticks — the first Super Heavy tower catch.

6. 

   Nov 2024Done

   First in-space Raptor relight

   Flight 6 reignited a Raptor in space — the building block for later deorbit burns.

7. 

   Jan 2025Done

   Booster catch · V2

   Flight 7 caught Booster 14 — the first Block 2 Super Heavy return to the tower. Flight 8 later caught Booster 15 the same way.

8. 

   May 2025Done

   First booster reuse

   Flight 9 flew Booster 14 again after its Flight 7 catch — the first Super Heavy reuse. The experimental high-angle return ended before splashdown. Booster 15 later flew again on Flight 11.

9. 

   Aug 2025Done

   First payload deploy

   Flight 10 opened the payload path and deployed eight Starlink simulators — the first successful payload demonstration from Starship.

10. 

    May 2026Done

    V3 and Pad 2 debut

    Flight 12 introduced Starship V3, Raptor 3, and Orbital Launch Pad 2, including the first V3 ship reentry.

11. 

    Jul 2026Done

    First Starlink V3 deployment

    Flight 13 deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites from Starship on a suborbital trajectory — functioning satellites, not mass simulators.

12. 

    Jul 2026Done

    First intact ship float

    Ship 40 soft-splashed intact in the Indian Ocean and floated while still returning imagery.

13. 

    Sep 28 · F14Now

    Orbit flight attempt

    SpaceX published Flight 14 as Starship’s first orbital mission: about 275 km, six revolutions, nearly 10 hours, then a Pacific splashdown west of Chile. NET September 28, pending regulatory approval.

14. 

    Sep 28 · F14Next

    Orbital payload delivery

    Flight 14 is set to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites into an operational orbit — beyond Flight 13’s 20-satellite suborbital demo. Three of the 26 carry cameras to image the heat shield.

15. 

    OpenWatch

    Booster catch · V3

    V3 Super Heavy has not been caught. Flights 12 and 13 ended in hard Gulf splashdowns. A tower catch is still ahead — and is not the Flight 14 plan.

16. 

    A few monthsWatch

    Ship tower catch

    On Aug 20 Musk said SpaceX will probably catch the ship with the tower in a few months — not on the next flight. SpaceNews reports a Flight 14 ship catch is now unlikely.

17. 

    Late 2026 / early 2027Watch

    First ship reuse

    Musk said on Aug 20 that the first ship reflight looks like the end of this year or early next. No reflown ship has been identified.