SpaceX files Starship Flight 14 for orbit

SpaceX asked the Federal Communications Commission on September 1 for authority covering Starship Flight 14, and the filing describes the mission as including “an orbital second stage.” The request, first reported by TeslaNorth and Teslarati, seeks backup ship radio authority tied to a launch from Starbase, Texas, with an operating window beginning September 15. The filing is notable because recent Starship flights have flown suborbital profiles rather than completing a full orbital mission. The FCC filing does not itself authorize launch; the Federal Aviation Administration remains the launch licensing authority, according to the application. ### What exactly did SpaceX file with the FCC? The September 1 report by TeslaNorth said SpaceX asked the FCC for backup frequencies 2228.5 MHz and 2234.5 MHz for Starship Flight 14 ship communications. The outlet said the experimental special temporary authority was signed on August 21 by Launch Regulatory Specialist Kristi Key and covers a requested operating period from September 15, 2026 through March 15, 2027. (teslanorth.com) The application language matters because it says it “includes an orbital second stage,” according to TeslaNorth’s account of the filing. FCC special temporary authority filings for earlier Starship tests used suborbital language, including a Flight 12 filing that described “a sub-orbital first stage booster and a second stage,” according to an FCC record. (teslanorth.com) ### Why are people calling this Starship’s first true orbital attempt? Starship Flight 13 ended with an Indian Ocean splashdown on July 24 after flying a suborbital arc, according to Teslarati’s September 1 report. Teslarati said Flight 13 carried 20 production Starlink V3 satellites, but because the mission did not reach orbit, the satellites reentered with the ship instead of joining the operating constellation. (teslanorth.com) A 2021 FCC exhibit for SpaceX’s first planned Starship orbital test shows what an orbital profile looks like in regulatory paperwork: the vehicle would “achieve orbit” before a later deorbit and ocean landing. That older filing provides a baseline for why the new “orbital second stage” wording is being treated as a substantive change from the recent suborbital test series. ### What payload is Flight 14 expected to carry? (teslarati.com) KeepTrack reported on September 2 that Flight 14 is expected to carry about 20 Starlink V3 satellites into operational orbit. The same report said each satellite is rated at about 1 terabit per second of downlink capacity. The FCC filing itself, as summarized by TeslaNorth and Teslarati, centers on communications authority rather than a full payload manifest. (apps.fcc.gov) The Starlink payload details have been reported by secondary spaceflight outlets and were not visible in the FCC records surfaced in this search. ### How far along is the hardware at Starbase? Booster 21 completed a full-duration static fire at Starbase on August 28, according to Avid Spaceflight. (keeptrack.space) The report said SpaceX fired all 33 Raptor engines for about 15 seconds at Pad 2 as part of Flight 14 preparations. Ship 41 has also completed major engine testing, Avid Spaceflight reported, leaving stacking, inspections and final launch processing as the next visible milestones. (teslanorth.com) SpaceX has not publicly confirmed a launch date in the material reviewed here. ### Does the September 15 date mean the launch is set? The requested FCC operating window begins September 15, 2026, but that is not a firm launch date. (avidspaceflight.com) Outer Space Today reported that an airspace briefing circulated to pilots on August 20 listed September 15 as a target date, while also noting that Starship schedules routinely move as hardware work and FAA paperwork continue. The next concrete milestone is FAA launch licensing. The FCC filing says the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation is the launch licensing authority, and the requested communications authority runs through March 15, 2027. (teslanorth.com) (outerspacetoday.ghost.io)