Starbase is running two Starship stacks in parallel: Booster 22 and Ship 42 are at Massey’s for cryogenic proof testing as the planned Flight 15 pairing, while Flight 14, with Booster 21 and Ship 41, still wait on the Pad 2 path.
Separately, Next Spaceflight now lists a timed Flight 14 window on Friday, 18 September 2026, from 12:15 to 14:14 GMT, after earlier coverage had pointed at a mid-September NET around 15 September.
So, the whole picture of Starbase this week is as follows. The next stack (B22/S42) are now in cryo proof testing, and the near-term IFT-14 flight has been shifted slightly for a next Friday window. No official IFT-14 clock or launch window has been confirmed yet by SpaceX, but we fully expect a launch late next week.
Flight 15 Cryo at Massey’s
Booster 22 rolled from Mega Bay 1 to Massey’s for a multi-day cryogenic proof campaign, and Ship 42 joined it there for further cryo on a second trip after earlier ship-stand testing at the site, per NASASpaceflight coverage.
With cryo under way, the next hardware steps after Massey’s are already mapped. Booster 22 is expected back to Mega Bay 1 for Raptor install, then a Pad 2 static fire. Ship 42 still needs engines in Mega Bay 2 and its own static fire before the stack can climb toward a Flight 15 attempt. No Flight 15 launch date or payload is public, and we don’t expect to receive any information about this flight until after IFT-14 launches.
Flight 14 Window on the Tracker
Flight 14 remains Booster 21 and Ship 41, which are both Starship-Super Heavy V3 hardware, on the near-term pad path from Starbase Pad 2. Next Spaceflight’s Flight 14 detail page now shows Friday, 18 September 2026, with the window open from 12:15 GMT through 14:14 GMT (roughly 8:15–10:14 a.m. Eastern).
With the final FAA launch license for IFT-14 still pending, likely due to the live deployment of Starlink V3 satellites for the first time, the launch window could still slip. Whether the window stays firm or slides to the right, we’ll be waiting earnestly.
15 Comes after 14
With Flight 15 expected roughly one month from whenever 14 launches, there is a lot riding on B21 and S41. Catch-up work on Pad 2, the booster, the ship, or the tower, could play into how quickly FAA approves the next flight, or whether SpaceX needs to go back to the drawing board with the new V3 hardware.
SpaceX has also filed a communications authorization application for Flight 15 that requests an operating window from 28 September 2026 through 28 March 2027. That filing is not yet granted and may be amended, but it does point to SpaceX being nearly ready to begin moving faster with Starship.
Until cryo wraps, Booster 22 and Ship 42 still need engines and static fires after Massey’s. Flight 14 is nearly ready, and with a potential Friday launch coming up between 12:15–14:14 GMT, next week will end with a roar.
