Starship Flight 14 Is Getting Very Close!

Video from the channel Marcus House about Starship, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 23:17. Language: English. Video type: News.

This weekly recap covers preparations for Starship Flight 14 and the announcement of Starbase Louisiana. Ship 41 completed a full-duration six-engine static fire at Massey's. It then returned to Megabay 2 for final checks. Booster 21 was moved to pad 2, where the flame trench plates had been reinforced. There it performed a full-duration 33-engine static fire. With both stages tested, Flight 14 is awaiting a date. It is expected to be the first fully orbital flight, carrying Starlink satellites.

SpaceX also confirmed a new site in Louisiana. It will have at least ten self-sufficient Starship pads, with air separation units, power generation, a deep-water port, an airport, and vehicle processing facilities. Construction would begin the following year, with the first launch expected in 2029. The investment will be at least $100 billion, creating at least 3,000 jobs.

Ship 40 flew on Flight 13. On Christmas Island it was loaded onto the semi-submersible vessel FORTE, which departed for Texas. It is expected to arrive on October 8, after about 41 days at sea.

The video also covers other news. Booster 1067 flew its 37th mission, in what should be the last Starlink launch on a Falcon 9 from Florida. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is preparing to launch on a Falcon Heavy toward the L2 Lagrange point. An Ariane 6 launched the MTG-I2 satellite, the first Ariane 6 flight to a geostationary transfer orbit. On the ISS, a spacewalk installed a spare antenna. Finally, Katalyst Space's LINK mission ended without being able to raise the orbit of the Swift observatory.

The goal for Louisiana is thousands of launches per year, and it has been said the site could exceed a dozen pads. According to the author, SpaceX already considers pad 2's design mature enough to replicate. He also believes Starlink will shift to launching on Starship: the next Starlink launch from Florida should lift off from pad 39A on a Starship. Without the orbit raise, Swift is expected to re-enter the atmosphere before the end of the year.