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SpaceX Starship on the launch pad at Starbase, Texas, ahead of Flight 14
Photo: Starlust

SpaceX Stock Falls 1.4% After Starship Flight 14 Delay

Space.com2 min read7 sources

Why is SpaceX stock down today?

SpaceX (SPCX) stock fell 1.4% to $152.71 on Friday after the company delayed Starship Flight 14, its first orbital mission, to September 28 with FAA approval still pending.

Key numbers

SPCX daily move-1.4%-$2.10 to close at $152.71
New launch dateSept. 28, 2026+6 days vs. Sept. 22 original target
SpaceX market cap$2.07T+13% vs. $135 IPO price on June 12
Q2 2026 revenue$7.8B+92% year over year
Flight 14 V3 payload capacity26 Tbps26 satellites × 1 Tbps each
FAA launch licensePendingEnvironmental review already cleared

What happened

SpaceX (SPCX) stock fell 1.4% to $152.71 on Friday after the company delayed Starship Flight 14, its first orbital mission, to September 28 with FAA approval still pending. SpaceX gave no reason for the six-day delay from its previous September 22 target. The FAA still needs to issue a launch license; the agency had cleared an environmental review for the mission but has not yet approved the actual launch. Flight 14 will deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, each adding 1 terabit per second of internet capacity — roughly ten times more per launch than an older Falcon 9 mission.

Why it matters

SpaceX stock has been publicly traded for just three months at a $2.07 trillion valuation, and every Starship milestone now carries extra weight for investors watching whether that price tag is justified. This flight would be the first to complete a full orbit of Earth and the first to deliver a commercial payload — a major step beyond pure hardware testing. Another delay or a problem on September 28 could put fresh pressure on a stock that has been volatile since its June IPO debut.

Who this affects

Marketbearish
Low impact
Space sector stocks saw minor selling pressure Friday.
Companybearish
Low impact
SPCX fell 1.4%; FAA hold adds short-term launch uncertainty.
Competitorsneutral
Low impact
Rocket Lab and Intuitive Machines unaffected by delay.
Industryneutral
Medium impact
FAA emerging as key gatekeeper for commercial spaceflight milestones.

SpaceX vs Rocket Lab, Intuitive Machines

SpaceXSPCX:NASDAQ$2.07T-1.4%~111x$18.7B
Rocket LabRKLB:NASDAQ$38B—~49x$769M
Intuitive MachinesLUNR:NASDAQ~$2B+2.6%——

As of 2026-09-20

How we got here

  1. SpaceX IPO on Nasdaq at $135/share, $1.77T valuation

  2. FAA clears environmental review for Flight 14 landing catch

  3. SpaceX publishes Flight 14 mission details; targets NET Sept. 22

  4. SpaceX posts new Sept. 28 launch date with no explanation

  5. NET launch date for Starship Flight 14, pending FAA license

What to watch

  • FAA launch license decision needed before Sept. 28 flight2026-09-28
  • Starship in-orbit deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites if launched2026-09-28
  • SpaceX Q3 2026 earnings; analysts watch Starlink subscriber and revenue growthQ4 2026

Educational content only. Not investment advice.

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