Super Heavy booster positioned on launch mount for Starship's orbital debut
SpaceX rolled the Super Heavy booster B21 to Pad 2 at Starbase on Sunday night and placed it on the mount early Monday. The company is targeting a launch as soon as Sept. 28, but requires FAA approval for an orbital license modification. This would be the first time the FAA licenses an orbital flight for a vehicle as large as the Starship upper stage.
The B21 booster, standing 236 feet tall with a 9-meter diameter, dwarfs the Falcon 9's 3.7-meter width. Its central methane downcomer pipe is roughly the size of an entire Falcon 9 rocket. The booster moved from assembly to Pad 2's mount in about two hours, though no road closures are published yet for the upper stage S41's rollout.
The mission, designated Starlink 31-1, aims to place 26 V3 satellites into a 275-kilometer orbit inclined 30 degrees. This follows a July test where V3 satellites were deployed suborbitally, capturing heat shield imagery and testing laser links. The FAA's pending license modification would be the first orbital license for a vehicle as large as the Starship upper stage, which is 171 feet tall.
This launch could mark a pivotal shift in satellite internet capacity, as Starship is required to deploy the larger V3 satellites that may offer higher bandwidth and lower latency. If successful, it may accelerate global connectivity, particularly in underserved regions, while also setting a regulatory precedent for the FAA regarding very large orbital vehicles. However, the potential for uncontrolled reentry debris poses a safety risk that could affect air and sea traffic, as well as coastal communities, depending on the flight's outcome.