Washington, 16 September (QNA) - SpaceX announced that it is preparing to launch the next test flight of the Starship spacecraft on September 22. The mission is expected to see the vehicle enter The Earth's orbit for the first time and deploy third-generation Starlink satellites.

This fourteenth test flight represents a significant advancement over the vehicle's previous test last July, which followed a suborbital trajectory—reaching space before returning to Earth without completing a full orbit.

The mission is expected to last approximately 10 hours, with Starship flying about 275 kilometers above Earth and completing about six orbits before landing in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

During the mission, the company also intends to test booster rocket launches, stage separation, booster return, and water landings, as part of its efforts to develop a fully reusable orbital launch system. (QNA)