Launch week: September 14-20, 2026
Ten dated orbital launch attempts fill September 14–20 UTC, headlined by Starship Flight 14, Europe’s Vega-C return with Sentinel-3C and FLEX, two SpaceX Falcon 9 flights, and five commercial and state missions from China.
Ten dated orbital launch attempts fill the September 14–20, 2026 UTC calendar, spanning eight launch vehicles across four continents. Highlights include the NET September 18 orbital flight test of SpaceX's Starship-Super Heavy v3, the dual scientific deployment of Sentinel-3C and FLEX on Europe's Vega-C, two Falcon 9 flights from California, and five commercial and state missions from Chinese spaceports. Russia's Progress 96 cargo mission also returns to the schedule following a technical slip from the previous week. 12
All dates and times below appear in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
NET signifies no earlier than, while TBD designates an unannounced or pending time. Entries marked provisional reflect operational targets that remain subject to regulatory clearance or stage testing.Quick schedule
| UTC date and window | Mission and vehicle | Operator | Launch site and pad | Payload and destination | Status and webcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 01:21 | Sentinel-3C & FLEX Vega-C (VV30) | Avio / ESA | Europe's Spaceport (Kourou), ELV | Dual Earth observation satellites (Copernicus ocean/land monitor and FLuorescence EXplorer) to 820 km Sun-synchronous orbit. | Go for launch. Official YouTube broadcast begins prior to liftoff. 34 |
| Sep 15, 06:25 Window 06:18–06:40 | Unknown Payload ZhuQue-2E Block 2 | LandSpace | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Site 96A | Commercial methalox orbital flight; unconfirmed payload, possibly SpaceSail broadband satellites to low Earth orbit. | Scheduled. No public live stream announced. 5 |
| Sep 15, 21:55 Window 21:50–22:11 | Unknown Payload Gravity 1 (Yinli-1) | OrienSpace | Haiyang Oriental Spaceport, Yellow Sea Mobile Barge | Solid-fuel commercial heavy lifter carrying unconfirmed orbital payload to low Earth orbit. | Scheduled. No public live stream announced. 6 |
| Sep 16, 01:00 Window 01:00–05:00 | USSF-259 Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1097.13) | SpaceX for U.S. Space Force | Vandenberg Space Force Base, SLC-4E | Classified national security payload to polar low Earth orbit; first stage recovers on droneship OCISLY. | Go for launch. Live webcast on SpaceX USSF-259 page starts 10 minutes before liftoff. 78 |
| Sep 16, 13:33 (Provisional target) | Progress MS-35 / 96P Soyuz 2.1b | Roscosmos | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | Uncrewed cargo resupply vessel delivering nearly three tons of propellant, food, and science hardware to the ISS. | Provisional. Delayed from Sept 9 for stage checks; watch live on NASA+. 910 |
| Sep 17, 00:30 Window 00:25–00:54 | Unknown Payload Long March 12 | CASC | Wenchang Space Launch Site, Commercial LC-2 | 3.8-meter kerolox launch vehicle delivering unannounced payload to low Earth orbit. | Scheduled. Payload undisclosed; no public webcast listed. 11 |
| Sep 17, 02:35 Window 02:31–03:12 | Unknown Payload Kuaizhou 11 | ExPace | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Site 95A | Four-stage solid launch vehicle delivering undisclosed payload to low Earth orbit. | Scheduled. Mission details unannounced; no public webcast listed. 12 |
| Sep 18, 12:15 Window 12:15–14:14 | Starship Flight 14 Starship-Super Heavy v3 | SpaceX | Starbase (Boca Chica), Pad 2 | First full orbital test flight attempt with Booster 21 and Ship 41; possible test deployment of Starlink Version 3 satellites. | NET September 18. Slid from Sept 15; live coverage hosted on SpaceX. 213 |
| Sep 19, 10:50 Window 10:43–11:06 | Unknown Payload Long March 2D | CASC | Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, LC-9 | Two-stage liquid launch vehicle delivering undisclosed payload to Sun-synchronous orbit. | Scheduled. Payload unannounced; no public webcast listed. 14 |
| Sep 20, 01:47 Window 01:47–05:47 | Starlink Group 15-27 Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1093.17) | SpaceX | Vandenberg Space Force Base, SLC-4E | 27 Starlink v2-mini broadband internet satellites to low Earth orbit; first stage recovers on droneship OCISLY. | Go for launch. Live webcast on SpaceX Starlink page starts 10 minutes prior to liftoff. 1516 |
Mission cards
Vega-C (VV30): Sentinel-3C and FLEX from Kourou
Avio and the European Space Agency are preparing Vega-C flight VV30 for liftoff at 01:21 UTC on Tuesday, September 15 (10:21 p.m. local time on September 14) from the ELV launch complex at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Vega-C stands 35 meters tall and uses a four-stage solid-and-liquid configuration capable of lofting 2,300 kg to low Earth orbit. 3
The flight carries two scientific spacecraft into an 820-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit at an inclination of 98.6 degrees:
- Sentinel-3C (1,143 kg): Developed by Thales Alenia Space for the European Commission's Copernicus initiative, the satellite measures sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature, and ocean color to support climate modeling and marine monitoring.
- FLEX (397 kg): ESA's Fluorescence Explorer carries the Floris imaging spectrometer. The instrument maps vegetation fluorescence globally, detecting photosynthetic glow emitted by vegetation to quantify plant stress and carbon exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. 4
Live coverage streams on the official ESA YouTube feed.
ZhuQue-2E Block 2: LandSpace commercial methalox flight
LandSpace has scheduled an orbital launch of its ZhuQue-2E Block 2 launch vehicle for 06:25 UTC on Tuesday, September 15, with a 22-minute launch window closing at 06:40 UTC. Liftoff takes place from Site 96A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The two-stage methane-fueled rocket produces 3,312 kN of sea-level thrust and delivers up to 6,000 kg of payload to low Earth orbit. 5
Neither LandSpace nor Chinese civil space authorities have formally named the mission payload. Operational tracker notes indicate the vehicle may carry a batch of SpaceSail low Earth orbit broadband satellites. No direct video stream has been scheduled.
Gravity 1: OrienSpace sea-barge liftoff
Commercial launch operator OrienSpace plans to launch its Gravity 1 (Yinli-1) rocket at 21:55 UTC on Tuesday, September 15 (05:55 local China Standard Time on September 16). The launch window extends from 21:50 to 22:11 UTC. The mission launches from a converted mobile launch vessel operating out of Haiyang Oriental Spaceport at Yellow Sea launch location 5. 6
Gravity 1 utilizes three solid-propellant core stages bundled with four solid-propellant strap-on boosters, generating 5,880 kN of liftoff thrust to lift 6,500 kg to low Earth orbit. OrienSpace has not disclosed the customer or satellite complement for this mission.
Falcon 9 Block 5: USSF-259 classified Space Force launch
SpaceX has scheduled a Falcon 9 launch for the United States Space Force from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The four-hour window opens at 01:00 UTC on Wednesday, September 16 (6:00 p.m. PDT on September 15), with a backup opportunity available on September 17. 7
The mission employs Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1097 on its 13th flight. B1097 previously supported Sentinel-6B, Twilight, NROL-172, Transporter-17, and eight Starlink missions. After main-engine cutoff and stage separation, the booster will land downrange on the autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You stationed in the Pacific Ocean. While specific satellite parameters remain classified under national security protocols, trajectory filings indicate a polar low Earth orbit deployment. The official live webcast begins ten minutes prior to liftoff on the SpaceX USSF-259 mission hub.
Progress MS-35 / 96P: Roscosmos ISS resupply follow-up
Roscosmos has rescheduled the uncrewed Progress MS-35 cargo mission (designated Progress 96 by NASA) for a targeted liftoff at 13:33 UTC on Wednesday, September 16 from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The flight slipped from September 9 following an inspection of the third stage of the Soyuz-2 booster. Next Spaceflight records the 13:33 UTC target time, while Spaceflight Now designates the slot as pending final Russian state commission review. 29
Progress MS-35 carries roughly 2.5 metric tons of pressurized cargo, dry goods, water, oxygen, and propellants to replenish the Expedition 75/76 crew aboard the International Space Station. Live coverage will stream through NASA+.
Long March 12: Wenchang commercial pad launch
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has scheduled the maiden operational window for a Long March 12 launch vehicle at 00:30 UTC on Thursday, September 17 (08:30 local CST). Liftoff takes place from Commercial Launch Complex 2 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island. 11
The Long March 12 is a 3.8-meter diameter, two-stage kerolox launch vehicle powered by staged-combustion YF-100 engines delivering 5,000 kN of liftoff thrust. The rocket carries up to 12,000 kg to low Earth orbit. The flight follows a southeasterly trajectory over the South China Sea. The payload identity remains undisclosed.
Kuaizhou 11: ExPace solid-propellant flight
ExPace, the commercial launch subsidiary of CASIC, has set a launch window for its Kuaizhou 11 rocket at 02:35 UTC on Thursday, September 17 (10:35 local CST) from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The 41-minute launch window runs through 03:12 UTC. 12
The 25-meter Kuaizhou 11 uses three solid-fuel stages and a liquid upper stage, developing 1,250 kN of thrust to deliver 1,500 kg to low Earth orbit. Customer and orbital orbital insertion details remain unannounced.
Starship-Super Heavy v3 (Flight 14): orbital test attempt
SpaceX is targeting 12:15 UTC on Friday, September 18 (7:15 a.m. CDT) for Starship Flight 14 from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration Operations Plan advisory reserves a two-hour launch window ending at 14:14 UTC. This marks the third Starship flight of 2026 and the 14th integrated test of the vehicle family. 213
The test stack pairs Booster 21 with Ship 41, standing 124.4 meters tall with 33 Raptor engines producing approximately 80,800 kN of thrust. Mission objectives center on achieving Starship's first complete orbital insertion, testing upper-stage thermal protection during atmospheric entry, and conducting trial deployment cycles for prototype Starlink Version 3 satellites. SpaceX will host live streaming on SpaceX and the official @SpaceX account on X.
Long March 2D: Taiyuan polar flight
CASC plans to launch a Long March 2D rocket from Launch Complex 9 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province at 10:50 UTC on Saturday, September 19 (18:50 local CST). The 23-minute window closes at 11:06 UTC. 14
The two-stage hypergolic booster provides 2,962 kN of liftoff thrust and places up to 3,500 kg into low Earth orbit or 1,200 kg into Sun-synchronous orbit. The trajectory heads south across central China, consistent with a Sun-synchronous Earth observation profile. Specific payload designations remain undisclosed.
Falcon 9 Block 5: Starlink Group 15-27
SpaceX wraps up the week's manifest with a Falcon 9 flight from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 01:47 UTC on Sunday, September 20 (6:47 p.m. PDT on September 19). The four-hour window extends to 05:47 UTC. 15
The mission carries 27 second-generation Starlink v2-mini communication satellites into low Earth orbit. First-stage booster B1093 makes its 17th flight, having previously supported SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer missions, Transporter-16, and 13 Starlink batches. SpaceX plans a droneship landing on Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Pacific Ocean. Live coverage starts ten minutes before launch on the SpaceX Starlink mission page.
Watch priorities
- Starship Flight 14 (NET Sep 18, 12:15 UTC): The week's premier test flight. Viewers should track the countdown on the SpaceX feed for the first planned full orbital insertion and thermal shield stress test.
- Vega-C VV30 (Sep 15, 01:21 UTC): Key European scientific milestone. The dual deployment of Sentinel-3C and FLEX carries high value for earth science and orbital operations watchers.
- USSF-259 (Sep 16, 01:00 UTC): Twilight coastal liftoff from Vandenberg featuring Falcon 9 booster B1097's 13th recovery attempt on droneship OCISLY.
- Progress MS-35 / 96P (Sep 16, 13:33 UTC): Return to flight for the Russian cargo program following stage troubleshooting, with full English-language commentary on NASA+.
Operator tracking notes
- NASA: NASA supports ground tracking and live NASA+ streaming for the Progress 96 cargo mission. NASA's commercial crew manifest remains on hold as SpaceX and NASA engineering teams resolve an oxidizer valve leak on Crew Dragon Grace prior to setting a new date for Crew-13.
- ESA: ESA achieves full operational presence this week via Vega-C flight VV30 from Kourou, deploying the Copernicus Sentinel-3C and Earth Explorer FLEX environmental monitoring satellites.
- SpaceX: SpaceX manifests three orbital missions: USSF-259 from Vandenberg on September 16, Starship Flight 14 from Starbase on September 18, and Starlink Group 15-27 from Vandenberg on September 20.
- Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab stands down from orbital launches this week. The company completed its commercial "Happily Ever Faster" Electron mission on September 11 from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand; upcoming customer missions including NASA's Aspera and LOXSAT remain slated for later in the 2026 manifest. 17
- Blue Origin: Blue Origin has no orbital or suborbital launches scheduled for September 14–20. First-party missions portals remain behind web verification firewalls, while cross-checks via RocketLaunch.live confirm no active flight windows for New Glenn or New Shepard this week. 18
- ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation has no launches scheduled for the week. ISRO's most recent mission was the successful GSLV-F17 launch of EOS-05 on September 4 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. 19
References
- 1Next Spaceflight - current launch manifest
nextspaceflight.com
- 2Spaceflight Now - Launch Schedule
spaceflightnow.com
- 3Next Spaceflight - Sentinel-3C and FLEX
nextspaceflight.com
- 4
- 5Next Spaceflight - ZhuQue-2E Block 2
nextspaceflight.com
- 6Next Spaceflight - Gravity 1
nextspaceflight.com
- 7SpaceX - USSF-259 Mission
spacex.com
- 8Next Spaceflight - USSF-259
nextspaceflight.com
- 9Next Spaceflight - Progress MS-35
nextspaceflight.com
- 10
- 11Next Spaceflight - Long March 12
nextspaceflight.com
- 12Next Spaceflight - Kuaizhou 11
nextspaceflight.com
- 13Next Spaceflight - Starship Flight 14
nextspaceflight.com
- 14Next Spaceflight - Long March 2D
nextspaceflight.com
- 15SpaceX - Starlink Mission
spacex.com
- 16Next Spaceflight - Starlink Group 15-27
nextspaceflight.com
- 17Rocket Lab - Completed and upcoming missions
rocketlabusa.com
- 18RocketLaunch.Live - Multi-agency launch schedule
rocketlaunch.live
- 19ISRO - Launch Missions
isro.gov.in
This story was produced automatically by a channel. One sentence is all it takes for Neodrop to keep producing for you.