September 2026 – Spaceflight Now

NASA plans unpiloted Starliner test flight at end of year

September 29, 2026 William Harwood

If the unpiloted test flight goes well, NASA and Boeing hope to launch a piloted Starliner flight in mid 2028, officials said Monday, incorporating redesigned propulsion system valves, more robust subsystems and other modifications expected to prevent the sort of failures that occurred in 2024.

Starship returns to Earth; rocket splashes down north of Hawaii after three-hour flight

September 28, 2026 William Harwood

The Super Heavy first stage booster, generating some 16 million pounds of thrust — twice the power of NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket — rapidly accelerated as it consumed propellant and lost weight, climbing out of the thick lower atmosphere along a southeasterly trajectory.

Launch preview: SpaceX to launch first Starlink V3 satellites to orbit on Starship

September 28, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The first planned orbital flight of a Starship-Super Heavy rocket aims to send 26 Starlink Version 3 into low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, is scheduled during a 75-minute window that opens at 7:15 a.m. CDT (8:15 a.m. EDT / 1215 UTC).

Next crew bound for the space station arrive in Florida

September 26, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The three astronauts and one cosmonaut will spend roughly six months onboard the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Oct. 1.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches classified mission for U.S. Space Force from West Coast

September 25, 2026 Steven Young

Liftoff of the USSF-385 mission atop a Falcon 9 is scheduled for 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT / 1400 UTC) at the opening of a three-hour launch window.

NASA announces new space telescope ‘PRIMA’ to launch in 2033

September 24, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

Once it goes through a confirmation review, the observatory can proceed into construction. The 5.9-foot telescope will be capped at a project cost of $1.2 billion, which excludes launch “and other non-project costs.”

SpaceX stack Starship and Super Heavy for first orbital flight

September 23, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The inclusion of the upper stage, tail number Ship 41, comes ahead of a probable fueling demonstration planned in the days leading up to a launch attempt. Starship Flight 14 is scheduled for no earlier than Sept. 28, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Month: September 2026