SpaceX to attempt inaugural grab of its Starship for the first time.

SpaceX is gearing up for an exciting new chapter in its Starship programme, with CEO Elon Musk revealing that the first attempt at landing the upper stage at Starbase could take place in one of the upcoming flights 13, 14, or 15.

The exact date for this historic landing attempt has yet to be announced, according to the latest search results as of September 2025. However, the next Starship flight could potentially take place in October.

In recent test flights, SpaceX elected to send the booster into the sea for a more hazardous landing procedure, a move aimed at gathering valuable data. Previously, in flights 5, 7, and 8, the 71-meter-tall booster was successfully brought back to the launchpad at Starbase in southern Texas.

The Starship, once fully operational, is expected to play a significant role in crew and cargo missions to the moon. There are also plans to use the Starship for missions to Mars.

The upcoming Starship flight will mark the end of version 2 of the most powerful rocket ever built. If all goes well, it could pave the way for successful landings of both the Super Heavy and Starship, a significant step towards full reusability of the Starship rocket.

Musk has expressed hope that the first version 3 rocket launch (flight 12) could take place before the end of this year. Version 3 of the Starship rocket will be 124.4 meters tall and even more powerful than its predecessor.

It's worth noting that up until now, the upper-stage Starship spacecraft landings have taken place in the ocean (except when it has blown up before reaching there). The first-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft have performed controlled landings in the ocean in different parts of the world.

Sea landings for the booster reduce the risk of causing damage to the launch site, a factor that could be crucial in the journey towards full reusability. Musk's forecasts for the first Starship landing at Starbase could be optimistic, but if the upcoming Starship flights go smoothly, the landing could be imminent.

The first Starship spacecraft landing could take place as early as January, or at least in the first half of 2026. The successful landing at Starbase would mark a significant milestone in SpaceX's mission to revolutionise space travel and make life multiplanetary.