SpaceX Targets Next Starship Launch This Month with First-Ever Upper Stage Catch and Upgraded Starlink Satellites

SpaceX is preparing for another major milestone in the development of its Starship launch system, with Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk announcing that the company’s next test flight could take place as early as this month. According to Reuters, the planned mission will attempt something SpaceX has never achieved before—bringing the Starship upper stage back to land and catching it with mechanical arms at its Texas launch site after completing an orbital journey.

The ambitious test would also mark the first deployment of SpaceX’s upgraded V3 Starlink satellites, representing another important step in expanding the company’s satellite internet network. However, Musk said the schedule and landing attempt remain subject to regulatory approval before the mission can proceed.

Starship Program Moves Closer to Full Reusability

The upcoming mission, designated as Starship’s 14th flight test, is expected to build directly on progress made during the rocket’s previous launch in July. During that mission, the Starship upper stage demonstrated improved landing performance before descending into the Indian Ocean, giving engineers valuable data for the next phase of the programme.

SpaceX has long viewed full reusability as the central objective of the Starship project. Unlike traditional launch vehicles that discard major hardware after each mission, Starship is designed so that both the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage spacecraft can be recovered, inspected and prepared for future launches. Achieving that goal could significantly reduce launch costs while allowing the company to increase the frequency of missions.

Musk previously indicated that an upper-stage recovery attempt could happen sometime this year if testing continued to produce positive results. Based on the outcome of the 13th flight, the company now believes the next mission could provide the first opportunity to attempt that recovery on land.

Historic Landing Attempt Depends on Regulatory Approval

During SpaceX’s first earnings conference call as a public company, Musk said the company hopes to conduct the launch toward the end of the month, provided it receives the necessary regulatory clearances. He noted that the decision to attempt a tower catch for the Starship upper stage will depend on approval from relevant authorities.

“Assuming we receive regulatory approval to do so, we’ll attempt to catch the ship with the tower on the next flight, which is tentatively scheduled for the end of this month,” Musk said.

The planned recovery would involve guiding the returning spacecraft toward the launch tower in Texas, where giant mechanical arms would capture the vehicle instead of allowing it to land conventionally. The technique is intended to speed up refurbishment and support rapid launch turnaround, an important element of SpaceX’s long-term operational strategy.

Previous Booster Recoveries Provide Valuable Experience

Although catching the Starship spacecraft itself would be a first, SpaceX has already demonstrated similar technology with the Super Heavy booster. The company has successfully recovered the massive first-stage booster using the launch tower’s mechanical arms on three previous occasions, with the most recent successful catch taking place in March 2025.

Engineers hope the experience gained from those recoveries will help support the more challenging task of capturing the upper stage, which completes a full orbital flight before returning to Earth. If successful, the mission would represent one of the most significant advances yet in SpaceX’s effort to create a fully reusable orbital launch system.

Recovery Operations Continue After Previous Flight

Before attempting another launch, SpaceX is continuing to analyse hardware from its previous Starship mission. According to Reuters, the company is in the process of recovering the upper-stage vehicle from the ocean following the 13th test flight. Satellite imagery captured by Vantor has documented recovery operations, with engineers expected to inspect the spacecraft closely before finalising plans for future missions.

The data collected from those inspections is likely to play an important role in determining the final flight profile for the next test, including whether conditions are suitable for attempting the first tower catch of the Starship spacecraft.

V3 Starlink Satellites Set for First Orbital Deployment

In addition to testing new recovery capabilities, the 14th Starship mission is expected to carry the first batch of SpaceX’s next-generation V3 Starlink satellites into orbit. Musk said the upgraded satellites are designed to deliver substantially higher broadband capacity and greater data density than the current generation, supporting the company’s plans to expand internet coverage and network performance worldwide.

According to SpaceX’s IPO prospectus, the company ultimately intends to deploy as many as 60 V3 Starlink satellites on a single Starship mission. Future launches are expected to focus increasingly on building out the satellite constellation as demand for Starlink services continues to grow.

NASA Closely Watching Starship’s Progress

The planned landing attempt is also expected to attract close attention from NASA, which is relying on a modified version of Starship for future lunar missions under the Artemis programme. Demonstrating that the upper stage can safely return to Earth and be recovered would represent another important milestone in proving the rocket’s long-term reliability and reusability.

While the immediate objective is to recover one stage at a time, SpaceX ultimately wants both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft to return to the launch site during the same mission. Under that concept, the launch tower would first capture the booster shortly after liftoff before preparing to recover the upper stage approximately 90 minutes later following a complete orbit around Earth.

Company Expects Rapid Increase in Launch Frequency

Musk said SpaceX expects the pace of Starship launches to accelerate significantly as testing progresses and operational confidence improves. He projected that within roughly a year the company could be conducting at least one Starship launch every day, with the possibility of even higher launch rates in the future.

Such an increase would represent a major shift in the economics of space transportation, enabling faster deployment of satellites, more frequent commercial missions and greater flexibility for government customers. Achieving that vision, however, will depend on continued technical success and regulatory approvals as the Starship programme advances.

Starship Plays Central Role in SpaceX’s Long-Term Strategy

Starship has become a key part of SpaceX’s long-term growth plans, supporting both its commercial launch business and the continued expansion of the Starlink satellite network. In recent years, launches carrying the company’s own satellites have accounted for a growing share of its overall mission schedule as Starlink revenue has become one of SpaceX’s largest business drivers.

The increasing focus on internal satellite deployments has also contributed to tighter launch availability for external customers seeking access to space. By developing a fully reusable launch system capable of carrying larger payloads at lower cost, SpaceX aims to increase launch capacity while strengthening its position in the global space industry.

If the upcoming mission receives regulatory clearance and successfully completes its objectives, the flight could mark another significant milestone in the evolution of Starship from an experimental rocket into a reusable launch system designed to support future satellite deployments, lunar exploration and deep-space missions.