SpaceX’s Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time, Deploys 26 Starlink Satellites

STARBASE, Texas — SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time on Monday, overcoming an engine failure shortly after liftoff to deploy a batch of next-generation Starlink satellites before the company cut the mission short.

The uncrewed vehicle, consisting of a Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage, lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase complex near Brownsville on the Gulf of Mexico. It was Starship’s 14th flight since 2023.

Tense Minutes After Engine Shutdown

Shortly after reaching space, one of the upper stage’s three main engines shut down prematurely. SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot initially told viewers of the company’s livestream that the team had decided not to commit to orbit. Minutes later, he reversed course after engineers confirmed the vehicle could still perform the engine burn needed to reach orbit, which it then completed.

“Starship is orbital,” SpaceX mission control announced to cheers, according to CBC News.

Starlink Deployment

Once in orbit, Starship released 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites one at a time. The new satellites join a constellation of more than 11,000 older models that provide broadband internet service around the world.

The mission had been planned to last about 10 hours, with six orbits of Earth before a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Chile. SpaceX instead ended it after roughly three hours and two orbits. The company did not immediately explain the decision.

The Super Heavy booster returned to the Gulf of Mexico for an engine-controlled splashdown as planned, following hard landings on two previous missions, although SpaceX said some of its engines stopped working during descent. Neither the booster nor the ship was recovered for reuse on this flight.

Reaction

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on reaching orbit and on managing each step in what he described as a safe, responsible and inspirational way. NASA is relying on a version of Starship to land astronauts on the moon in its Artemis program.

Road to Reuse

Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, was designed to be fully reusable, a capability SpaceX says is central to lowering launch costs. Earlier test flights traveled no farther than the Indian Ocean, about halfway around the world.

Elon Musk has said the company is proceeding cautiously before attempting to return the ship to Starbase, noting at a business summit earlier this month that debris falling over land would quickly erode public support. Depending on the findings from Monday’s flight, SpaceX could next attempt to catch a returning Starship with the giant mechanical arms on its launch tower.

The company plans to put Starship into routine use later this year. SpaceX shares were down about 1% on Monday, Reuters reported.