OUTERSPACE TODAYNEWS
← All editionsWednesday, September 16, 2026 / Issue 078
[ OST Daily ]

SpaceX Sets September 22 for Starship's First Orbital Attempt, Schiess Says 1 in 10 Space Force Programs Are Stalled Under the Stopgap, and the Army Awards Lockheed $1.2B for Pr...

Outerspace Today5 min read / 2026-09-16
OST Daily September 16, 2026 — SpaceX declared Starship ready for its first orbital flight as early as September 22 with 26 V3 Starlinks aboard, Chief of Space Operations Douglas Schiess said about 10 percent of Space Force programs cannot proceed under the continuing resolution running to mid-December, and the Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.2 billion PrSM Increment 2 contract.
The daily pictureOST editorial illustration · 2026-09-16
[ 01 ]

The briefing

SpaceX said it will attempt to place Starship into orbit for the first time as early as September 22, pending regulatory approval, with a 75-minute window opening at 7:15 a.m. Central from Starbase. The 14th integrated flight will carry 26 V3 Starlink satellites to a 275-kilometer orbit, complete six orbits and splash down in the Pacific after about ten hours, the first Starship mission to deploy operational payloads. Super Heavy carries engine-filtering hardware and relight software fixes after eight of 13 landing-burn engines lit on Flight 13 in July, and will attempt a controlled Gulf splashdown with no tower catch.

Chief of Space Operations General Douglas Schiess said at the Air and Space Forces Association conference that about 10 percent of the Space Force's planned efforts cannot proceed under the continuing resolution running to mid-December without a new spending bill or a congressional anomaly, as the service asks for $71.2 billion in fiscal 2027 against $40 billion enacted for 2026. The Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.2 billion sole-bid contract for the early operational capability Precision Strike Missile Increment 2, the anti-ship variant with a multi-mode seeker reaching 500 kilometers, with work running to September 2031.

Telesat's Lightspeed subsidiary signed a global build-to-suit master services agreement with EQT-backed SatPort Infrastructure to develop, build and host landing stations for the constellation, converting ground-segment capital spending into operating costs while Telesat keeps ownership and control of the network. Maverick Space Systems booked 10 of Kepler Communications' 400-kilogram-class Tranche 2 satellites onto Portal Space Systems' dedicated Falcon 9 mission in mid-2028, as SpaceX reportedly pauses new Transporter and Bandwagon bookings beyond late 2028. SpaceX scrubbed Tuesday night's USSF-259 attempt at Vandenberg before fueling and is targeting Wednesday evening for its third Lane 1 national-security launch in a month.

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The headlines

01

SpaceX targets September 22 for Starship's first orbital flight with 26 V3 Starlinks

SpaceX

SpaceX declared Starship ready for its 14th integrated flight test and set September 22 as the target date pending regulatory approval, with a 75-minute window opening at 7:15 a.m. CT from Starbase. The upper stage will attempt an orbital insertion burn, deploy 26 V3 Starlink satellites into a 275-kilometer orbit, complete six orbits and splash down in the Pacific after about ten hours. The Super Heavy booster carries hardware and software changes to fix the engine-relight problems seen on Flight 13 in July and will attempt a controlled splashdown in the Gulf, with no tower catch attempt.

02

Schiess warns roughly 10% of Space Force programs stalled under continuing resolution

Chief of Space Operations General Douglas Schiess said at AFA that roughly 90 percent of Space Force programs can continue under the continuing resolution running through mid-December, but about 10 percent of planned efforts cannot proceed without a new spending bill or a congressional anomaly. The Space Force is asking for $71.2 billion in fiscal 2027, up from $40 billion enacted in FY26. Schiess and Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna said emerging missions including space control and space superiority need appropriations to move into acquisition.

03

Army awards Lockheed Martin $1.2B for PrSM Increment 2 early operational capability

LMT

The Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.2 billion contract for the early operational capability version of Precision Strike Missile Increment 2, the anti-ship variant with a multi-mode seeker designed to hit moving maritime targets at up to 500 kilometers. Lockheed was the only bidder, with work estimated to be complete by September 13, 2031. The award follows Lockheed's first PrSM Inc 2 test launch in February from a HIMARS launcher and comes as the Army draws down PrSM Increment 1 inventory after heavy use during the Iran conflict.

04

SpaceX scrubs USSF-259 at Vandenberg and targets Wednesday evening for its third Lane 1 launch in a month

SpaceX

SpaceX scrubbed Tuesday night's attempt to launch the classified USSF-259 mission for the Space Force from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 4E before fueling, citing an unexplained issue, and is targeting a backup opportunity on Wednesday evening.

05

Telesat and SatPort sign global build-to-suit deal for Lightspeed ground network

TSAT

Telesat's Lightspeed subsidiary and SatPort Infrastructure, backed by EQT, signed a global build-to-suit Master Services Agreement to develop, build and host landing stations for the Telesat Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. Under the framework, SatPort will deliver ground infrastructure to Telesat's design specifications and convert ground-segment capital expenditure into operating costs while Telesat retains ownership and control of network elements. Telesat said the deal provides a capital-efficient, scalable path to meet sovereign and in-country data landing requirements as Lightspeed comes online.

06

Maverick books 10 Kepler Tranche 2 satellites onto Portal Space Systems' Motus Via Sol Falcon 9 mission

SpaceX

Maverick Space Systems secured launch capacity for 10 Kepler Communications 400-kilogram-class Tranche 2 satellites on Portal Space Systems' Motus Via Sol mission, targeting a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in mid-2028. Maverick COO Vidur Kaushish said the Kepler booking fills the majority of remaining capacity on the flight, leaving one half-cake-topper slot open. Portal purchased a full Falcon 9 for the mission last month and tapped Maverick as its exclusive launch integration partner, with the mission set to debut Portal's Supernova spacecraft powered by its FLARE solar thermal propulsion system.

[ 03 / +35 / -11 ]

Market pulse

Archived snapshot from this edition. Prices and moves are not live.

Gainers+35
Decliners-11
Big mover FJET+20.1%

KRMN: 8-K false 0002040127 0002040127 2026-09-16 2026-09-16 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant.

AssetSnapshotMoveTrend
FJETStarfighters Space$1.97+20.1%
YSSYork Space Systems$9.76+14.2%
LUNRIntuitive Machines$15.72+12.9%
RBCRBC Bearings$492.56-1.7%
KRMNKarman Space$35.21-1.5%
HXLHexcel$86.94-1.4%
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Filings

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