WASHINGTON — SpaceX plans to start deploying upgraded Starlink satellites into orbit on the next flight of its Starship vehicle, scheduled for as soon as the end of the month.
In an Aug. 4 earnings call, the first by the company since it went public nearly two months ago, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said the company would deploy Starlink V3 satellites on Starship’s next launch, the vehicle’s first orbital launch attempt.
“Flight 14 will be our first flight to fly our version three Starlink satellites, our communication satellites, to operational orbit,” he said. That launch is tentatively scheduled for the end of August, he said later in the call.
He also said the company will attempt to catch the upper stage, or ship, back at the launch site on Flight 14. The company has not attempted a ship catch before, electing instead to perform soft splashdowns in the Indian Ocean. That catch, he added, is pending regulatory approval.
Musk said the plans to make Starship’s first orbital flight came after analysis of Flight 13, the most recent suborbital flight on July 24. That flight achieved most of the company’s announced milestones, including deployment of 20 functioning Starlink V3 satellites, which completed brief tests before reentering.
