SpaceX prepares to send Starship rocket to orbit for first time

SpaceX's Super Heavy booster is seen on the launch pad, as Starship is prepared to be placed on top, at the company's Boca Chica complex, ahead of Starship's eighth test flight which is targeted for March 3, from Starbase, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. March 2, 2025.Kaylee Greenlee | ReutersSpaceX plans to launch its massive Starship rocket early Monday in an effort to reach orbit with the spacecraft for the first time. According to SpaceX's website, the 75-minute launch window begins at 8:15 a.m. ET, or 7:15 a.m. local time, from the company town of Starbase, Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration told CNBC by email that it issued a "license authorization for the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Flight 14 launch and reentry operations" on Sept. 26. With the 14th test flight of Starship, Elon Musk's aerospace and defense company also plans to deploy 26 of its new Starlink V3 satellites.Starship is critical to SpaceX's expansion plans. The company is counting on the giant rocket to scale its Starlink, or Connectivity, business, which was its largest and only profitable segment as of the second quarter. SpaceX operates around 11,000 active satellites in orbit today, compared to roughl...