Deploy operational Starlink V3 satellites from Starship
Starship is intended to carry the next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. Flight 13 deployed twenty on a suborbital trajectory that returned them to the atmosphere; Flight 14 then delivered 26 into orbit, where SpaceX says they are raising their orbits before serving customers.
Achieved
What do the status labels mean?
Announced: it has been said out loud, but we have not seen work toward it yet.
In progress: we can point to tests, hardware or contracts that show work under way.
Partially achieved: part of the job is done and shown, but not all of it.
Achieved: evidence matches the whole “done” description we wrote down.
Uncertain: sources disagree or are missing. We say so instead of guessing.
Paused or cancelled: a reliable source says work has stopped or the plan was dropped.
Full definitions →- Said on
- 24 July 2026
- First target In plain English
What is a target window?
A target window is when the company said something would happen. Sometimes that is an exact day. Often it is only a month, a quarter or a year.
We keep it exactly as vague or as precise as the company did. If they said “2026”, we show 2026. We never turn that into a made-up day in December.
When a company gives a new date later, we keep the old one too. You can always see how the plan moved.
Saying “I’ll visit this summer” is a window. Saying “I’ll visit on 14 July” is an exact date. They are not the same promise.
- From Flight 14 onwards, as part of Starship's orbital missionsOpen-ended precision, stated 15 September 2026
- Current target
- From Flight 14 onwards, as part of Starship's orbital missionsOpen-ended precision, stated 15 September 2026
- Last checked In plain English
Who checked this, and how?
Each record has a review note. It names who did the check and lists every claim that was compared with its source.
Right now these checks were done with AI help and have not yet been re-read by an independent human editor. We say this plainly on every page rather than hiding it.
A “review due” label means the record is older than two weeks and is scheduled for another look. The content is unchanged until then.
- 13 October 2026Next review due 27 October 2026
What would count as “done”
Starship deploys Starlink V3 satellites into an orbit where they remain after deployment and can enter service, rather than onto a trajectory that returns them to the atmosphere.
Why we say this
SpaceX states that Flight 14 on 28 September 2026 'deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites' after reaching orbit, that contact was made with every satellite over laser links, ground stations and user terminals, and that 'the satellites will now conduct on-orbit checkouts and raise their orbits before they begin serving customers'. Unlike Flight 13's twenty satellites, which were placed on a suborbital trajectory and expected to reenter, these were delivered into an orbit where they remain, which is what the completion criterion asks for. Whether they have begun serving customers is not yet stated by SpaceX.
Stated uncertainty. Delivery into orbit is recorded as achieved on SpaceX's account. Service entry is a separate step the company has not yet reported; CelesTrak's catalogue is expected to list the satellites as Starship-launched payloads once catalogued, which this site's map uses to label v3.
How the date moved In plain EnglishWhat is a target window?
A target window is when the company said something would happen. Sometimes that is an exact day. Often it is only a month, a quarter or a year.
We keep it exactly as vague or as precise as the company did. If they said “2026”, we show 2026. We never turn that into a made-up day in December.
When a company gives a new date later, we keep the old one too. You can always see how the plan moved.
Saying “I’ll visit this summer” is a window. Saying “I’ll visit on 14 July” is an exact date. They are not the same promise.
What is a target window?
A target window is when the company said something would happen. Sometimes that is an exact day. Often it is only a month, a quarter or a year.
We keep it exactly as vague or as precise as the company did. If they said “2026”, we show 2026. We never turn that into a made-up day in December.
When a company gives a new date later, we keep the old one too. You can always see how the plan moved.
Saying “I’ll visit this summer” is a window. Saying “I’ll visit on 14 July” is an exact date. They are not the same promise.
- Stated 15 September 2026 · recorded here 18 September 2026 · current targetFrom Flight 14 onwards, as part of Starship's orbital missions (Open-ended precision)
First stated target for operational delivery. SpaceX tied it to the start of orbital missions rather than to a date.
What actually happened
All 26 Starlink V3 satellites were deployed from orbit between 34 and 65 minutes after liftoff and contacted over laser links, ground stations and user terminals; SpaceX says they will raise their orbits before serving customers.
All 20 Starlink V3 satellites were deployed and communicated with, on a pre-planned suborbital trajectory, and were expected to demise on reentry about twenty minutes after deployment.
Sources In plain EnglishWhere does the evidence come from?
Every status links to the page we read. We record who published it, when, and which part of it supports the claim.
A company saying something proves that the company said it. It does not prove the thing is true. When we can, we look for a second voice: a regulator, a partner like NASA, or an exchange.
If a page disappears later, we flag it. A missing page is not proof that a claim was wrong.
Source rules →
Where does the evidence come from?
Every status links to the page we read. We record who published it, when, and which part of it supports the claim.
A company saying something proves that the company said it. It does not prove the thing is true. When we can, we look for a second voice: a regulator, a partner like NASA, or an exchange.
If a page disappears later, we flag it. A missing page is not proof that a claim was wrong.
Source rules →Who checked this In plain EnglishWho checked this, and how?
Each record has a review note. It names who did the check and lists every claim that was compared with its source.
Right now these checks were done with AI help and have not yet been re-read by an independent human editor. We say this plainly on every page rather than hiding it.
A “review due” label means the record is older than two weeks and is scheduled for another look. The content is unchanged until then.
Who checked this, and how?
Each record has a review note. It names who did the check and lists every claim that was compared with its source.
Right now these checks were done with AI help and have not yet been re-read by an independent human editor. We say this plainly on every page rather than hiding it.
A “review due” label means the record is older than two weeks and is scheduled for another look. The content is unchanged until then.
Claims we compared with their sources
Flight 14 on 28 September 2026 performed an orbit insertion burn and entered orbit around Earth for the first time.
Stated directly, with the deorbit burn and Pacific splashdown recorded in the following paragraphs.
Flight 14 deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit, contact was made with each, and they will raise their orbits before serving customers.
Service entry is described as a future step; the record states that.
Starship's orbital coast was cut short as a precaution after a Raptor vacuum engine shut down early during ascent.
Recorded in the outcome; it does not bear on whether orbit was reached.
Flight 14 did not attempt ship-to-ship propellant transfer or a long-duration stay.
Neither is mentioned; the time in orbit was under nine hours. Both 2026 targets remain open.
What this check could not tell us
- AI-assisted review drafted on 14 October 2026 for owner approval before publication; not independent human review.
- Flight 14 outcomes rest on SpaceX's own mission page; no independent tracking or regulator source was checked for the flight.
- The 2025 Florida launch count comes from Launch Library 2, an aggregator, with the range operator's all-provider total as corroboration. SpaceX has published no year-end figure.
- Source pages were read through a browser on 13 October 2026 UTC (14 October in Sydney); accessedAt is normalised to 23:30 UTC.