Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk said Monday that SpaceX will deploy operational Starlink V3 satellites aboard Starship’s first orbital flight, now targeted for Sept. 28.
First Starship Launch to Orbit
On Monday, Musk quoted a post by SpaceX on the social media platform X that showcased a booster stage of the Starship being moved to the Starbase, Texas, launchpad. “In 7 days, the first Starship launch to orbit will be carrying Starlink V3 satellites intended for operational use,” Musk said.
SpaceX had earlier intended to conduct Starship’s maiden orbital launch on Tuesday, September 22, but the company confirmed on X last week that it would be targeting a September 28 launch date for the Starship Flight 14, pending regulatory approval. The company did not provide any further details.
Musk has said the V3 constellation will ultimately deliver more than 100 times the bandwidth of the current roughly 11,000-satellite constellation. The billionaire also said that Starlink is more reliable than cable.
SpaceX also sunset all planned Falcon 9 Starlink launches from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with the company saying that all future East Coast Starlink missions are expected to use the Starship rocket instead.
Elon Musk Touts 10 Million Tons of Payload
Last week, Musk said that the Starship rocket would be capable of delivering 10 million tons of payload to orbit annually as soon as the rocket’s operations reach scale. These comments came after Musk had predicted months earlier that Starship would be able to carry 1 million tons of orbital payload annually.
Price Action: SpaceX shares were up 0.40% to $152.46 during overnight trading on Monday.
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