Morgan Stanley Rates SpaceX's Starship Flight 14 with B+
On September 28, 2026, SpaceX successfully launched its Starship on the 14th test flight from South Texas. The mission achieved key objectives including Earth-orbit insertion and deployment of 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites. Despite a failed Raptor Vacuum engine shortly after stage separation—similar to an issue in Flight 12—the rocket completed most phases successfully, earning mixed grades across seven components evaluated by Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley assigned the flight a B+ overall grade and maintained its Overweight rating for SpaceX (SPCX), with a $300 price target. The firm acknowledged propulsion system reliability as an ongoing challenge that must be resolved to achieve Starship’s economic potential through rapid reuse. As of September 30, SPCX closed at $150.86, implying roughly 100% upside if the stock reaches its target. The flight demonstrated significant progress in redundancy and efficiency, with each V3 satellite carrying ten times more downlink capacity than previous versions. Flight 14 effectively matched the work of ten Falcon 9 missions for Starlink deployment.
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