SpaceX Starship Flight 14 Delays Again, Why? S42 Unexpectedly Came to Pad for Catching test!

One more delay. Starship Flight 14 is being pushed back by a few more days. But can you guess what's causing the latest delay? And just when you thought Flight 15 couldn't get any more interesting, S-42 has arrived at the pad after completing its testing campaign. Now, SpaceX is preparing to put the vehicle through a seriously wild test. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, S-40's journey is continuing with some interesting new developments. And that's not all. Relativity Space's Terran-R has just been added to a major launch services contract, putting another reusable rocket into the spotlight. There's a lot happening in the space industry right now, so let's get into all of it. Time really flies. And now, the September 15th target for Starship Flight 14 is gone. Indeed, we've received yet another unexpected change. Following Starship can sometimes feel like trying to predict the weather in Texas. Launch dates shift, plans change, and new information can appear almost overnight. So if you don't want to miss the real-world developments, subscribe to GreatSpaceX and check back regularly. We update the channel daily to keep you caught up on the latest Starship news. Now, the big question. When will Flight 14 actually launch? Once again, an FAA slide has appeared, and this is the third version I've seen. The previous two listed August 28th and September 15th. The latest slide now points to the 18th of September, three days later. Not a huge delay, but with the new target only about a week away, the lack of movement from Flight 14 vehicles is becoming interesting. B-21 and S-41 still haven't made the kind of move we'd normally expect this close to launch. Instead, most of the visible activity is happening around the launch site. The chopsticks are moving, the OLM is being exercised, and the flame trench is undergoing testing. Meanwhile, B-21 and S-41 could still be receiving final inspections, FTS work, payload integration, or other flight preparations. And there's a good reason SpaceX may be taking its time. Flight 14 isn't just another Starship test. It's expected to attempt Starship's first orbital mission, putting the engines, heat shield, flaps, guidance, communications, and flight control systems through a much more demanding test. And then comes re-entry and landing. So, SpaceX may simply be choosing preparation over the calendar. Because launching a few days later is far less costly than rushing the vehicle and creating a problem that could delay several future flights. A successful Flight 14 would provide critical flight data and build confidence for everything that follows. A major failure could mean investigations, hardware changes, additional testing, and further delays. So, even if the target slips another 72 hours, that doesn't necessarily mean Starship is falling behind. It could simply mean SpaceX is making sure the vehicle is ready. Now, what do you think? Are you still waiting for Flight 14? If you are, comment, still waiting, down below. And let me be aware you're still here for Starship's next chapter. But while the Flight 14 hardware still hasn't arrived at the launch pad, something completely unexpected has happened. S-42, the ship assigned to Flight 15, has arrived first. And if you're following Starship closely, you're probably asking the same question I am. Why is Flight 15 hardware at the pad before Flight 14? Throughout this month, S-42 has been constantly moving between Massey's and Mega Bay 2 as SpaceX works through its cryogenic testing campaign. Then, after B-22 arrived at Massey's, S-42 followed shortly afterward. At first, it seemed obvious what would happen next. S-42 would undergo another round of cryogenic testing. But surprisingly, on the morning of the 10th of September, just over a day after arriving at Massey's for the second time, S-42 left Massey's again and headed back toward Mega Bay 2. A thousand questions immediately come to mind. Why? Why move S-42 back so quickly? And more importantly, why send it toward the launch site before Flight 14 hardware has even arrived? The answer started to become clearer once S-42 reached Mega Bay 2. Instead of being placed on the Mega Bay 2 work stand, S-42 was moved from a cryogenic test stand onto a transport stand. No, no, you heard me right the first time. A transport stand. And that small detail is actually pretty important. It suggested that S-42's journey wasn't over yet. Then came another major clue. A production site-to-pad road closure schedule was set for the evening of the 10th from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. And right on schedule, S-42 began moving toward the launch pad. That was something we haven't seen before. A ship assigned to Flight 15 had reached the launch pad before the ship assigned to Flight 14. So what exactly is SpaceX planning? Well, here's where things get really interesting. One possibility is that SpaceX could be preparing for a completely different kind of test. A catch test. Now, to be clear, this is still speculation. There has been no official confirmation that SpaceX plans to attempt a ship catch with S-42, but the timing and the hardware movements certainly make the idea interesting. During the day, SpaceX could potentially perform additional checks on S-42's systems at Massey's. And with the Flight 14 vehicles still not ready to reach the pad, SpaceX may have a window where the launch infrastructure isn't being used for an actual launch campaign. That could give the company an opportunity to test something extremely important. The ship catch system. If SpaceX were to conduct such a test, what might it look like? First, the company could test the compatibility between the chopstick's landing rails and the ship's catching points. That would be a crucial step. The entire concept depends on the vehicle and the tower lining up with extraordinary precision during the final moments of descent. Then we could potentially see a crane lift S-42 to a relatively low height above the chopsticks. From there, the vehicle could be released and allowed to drop onto the catching mechanism. The chopsticks would then simulate the final catching motion and demonstrate how the ship could eventually be captured after returning from orbit. Again, that's only a possible scenario. But there is one reason why I find the theory particularly fascinating. SpaceX has been continuously testing the chopsticks and landing rails recently, and we've seen the tower systems moving repeatedly as SpaceX exercises the hardware ahead of Flight 14. So, if S-42 is suddenly brought to the pad before Flight 14 hardware, it's fair to ask whether SpaceX has another objective in mind, and if that objective really is a catch. Now, you're probably wondering about the recent activities involving S-40. Our last major update came when S-40 began its long journey home from Christmas Island. At around 14 knots, the recovery vessel Forte was pushed toward Starbase with an October 8th target. Then, on September 9th, Forte had crossed much of the Indian Ocean and was approaching Madagascar. But instead of continuing toward Southern Africa, the vessel suddenly turned toward the island. So, what happened? There are two obvious possibilities. The first is weather. Strong winds, currents, or storms around Southern Africa may have made the planned route less favorable, prompting the crew to wait for better conditions. The second is resupplying. After traveling thousands of miles, Forte may simply have needed additional food, water, or other supplies before beginning the next major leg. Either way, the detour now appears to be over. Forte has left the Madagascar area and is continuing westward. If the journey stays on course, the vessel could reach the Agulhas Current within about a week, round the southern tip of Africa, and enter the Atlantic. But even then, S-40 will still have a very long journey ahead before finally reaching Starbase. So, while Starbase is getting busier by the day, S-40's voyage remains a story worth watching. This is a spacecraft that survived a trip through the atmosphere and is now being transported thousands of miles across the ocean. And every unexpected turn could change when it finally comes home. So, keep following GreatSpaceX for the latest S-40 updates because the next major milestone could be Forte clearing the African coast and beginning the final stretch towards Starbase. And now for our final segment of today's updates, let's take a look at the latest progress on Relativity Space's Terran R. After the failure of Terran 1 in 2023, Relativity shifted its focus toward a much larger reusable rocket. And now, Terran R has received an important vote of confidence from NASA. On September 9th, NASA announced that Relativity had been added to the NASA Launch Services 2 contract through its on-ramp provision. That doesn't mean Terran R has won a NASA launch. Instead, it gives NASA the option to select the rocket for future missions if it meets the necessary requirements. NLS-2 is a multiple award contract with an ordering period through June of 2030, supporting missions launching through December of 2032. And because NASA uses an annual on-ramp process, Relativity can now compete directly for future government missions. NASA explained, the NLS-2 contract include an on-ramp provision that provides an annual opportunity for new launch service providers to compete for future missions and allows existing contractors to introduce launch vehicles not currently on their NLS-2 contracts. NASA also noted that NLS-2 supports missions across human spaceflight, science, research, and other government agencies, including NOAA. Relativity responded, we're excited to help unlock new frontiers of discovery beyond Earth. And NASA's relationship with Relativity goes even further. The agency has already selected Relativity to launch the Mars-bound Aeolus science mission, currently targeting 2028. Terran R is expected to provide the ride to Mars, while Relativity will also build the spacecraft carrying instruments designed to study Martian winds, temperatures, dust, and clouds. That's a remarkable target for a company whose first rocket never reached orbit. Terran 1 launched from LC-16 in March of 2023, but failed to reach orbit. The rocket was notable for its extensive use of 3D-printed components, but Relativity ultimately abandoned the smaller vehicle and redirected its efforts toward Terran R. The new rocket is much larger and designed around reusability, making it a far more ambitious entry into the launch market. Relativity has also been expanding its facilities around Cape Canaveral, although its original goal of launching Terran R before the end of the year now appears increasingly difficult. A 2027 debut looks more likely, and for a rocket this ambitious, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.