SpaceX’s next Starship launch is expected to become the rocket’s first revenue-generating mission by carrying production Starlink satellites into orbit, according to comments from CFO Bret Johnsen reported by Yahoo Finance.
The mission, designated Starship Flight 14, is planned for later in September.
Previous Starship test flights have focused primarily on demonstrating launch, reentry, recovery and deployment capabilities. Carrying operational Starlink spacecraft would mark a significant shift toward commercial utilization of the system.
Starship is central to SpaceX’s strategy for deploying larger numbers of next-generation satellites while reducing launch costs through a fully reusable heavy-lift system.
Johnsen disclosed the plans during Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia + Technology Conference.
He also reiterated SpaceX’s goal of reaching approximately $100 billion in annualized recurring revenue by the end of 2026, saying a recently signed compute-hosting agreement gave management additional confidence in reaching that target.
SpaceX’s revenue base is increasingly expanding beyond traditional launch services.
Starlink provides recurring broadband revenue, while the company is also developing direct-to-phone connectivity and increasingly large computing infrastructure operations.
Johnsen indicated that SpaceX expects to fly next-generation satellites during 2027 and aims to activate a full 5G-quality direct-to-phone service during the first half of 2028.
He also suggested that orbital computing systems could become economically competitive with terrestrial data centers as early as next year, reflecting SpaceX’s growing ambitions at the intersection of space infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
