SpaceX schedules Starship's first orbital test flight for September 22

SpaceX has set the 14th test flight of its Starship rocket for September 22, aiming to place the upper stage in Earth orbit for the first time.

• SpaceX announced it will launch the test on September 22, targeting a full orbit after the July flight flew a suborbital trajectory.
• SpaceX plans to deploy the first batch of third-generation Starlink satellites — 26 V3 units — into its internet network during the mission.
• The flight is expected to last about 10 hours, circling Earth six times at roughly 275 kilometers before landing in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.
• SpaceX said it modified the Super Heavy booster's hardware and software and the Starship heat shield to address issues from the July flight.