Starship Reaches Orbit, Deploys Satellites Before Early Splashdown
SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time on September 28, 2026, and deployed 26 Starlink satellites before flight controllers shortened its test mission. The spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after just over three hours, instead of completing the planned 10-hour flight and six orbits around Earth.
The launch from Starbase, Texas, was Starship’s 14th full-scale test flight. Shortly after liftoff, one engine shut down prematurely. Controllers determined that the remaining engines could carry out the ascent, and the spacecraft reached its intended orbit at an altitude of about 275 kilometres. Its first-stage booster, which was not scheduled for recovery, descended into the Gulf of Mexico.
The satellites were the latest version of SpaceX’s Starlink network, which already included about 11,000 older satellites. SpaceX did not give a reason for ending the mission early. The spacecraft completed a couple of laps around Earth before returning, rather than continuing for the full six.
SpaceX had planned the longer flight as a demonstration of Starship’s capabilities for NASA’s Artemis moon program. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated the company after it reached orbit. Previous Starship test flights had traveled no farther than the Indian Ocean. One vehicle broke apart shortly after launch in 2025, disrupting flights over the Caribbean.
SpaceX designed the 124-metre rocket to be fully reusable, with the aim of reducing launch costs. The company recovered a Starship from the Indian Ocean in July and used inspections of that vehicle to modify the heat shield on Monday’s spacecraft. Depending on the results of this flight, a future test could attempt to catch a returning spacecraft with mechanical arms at the launch site.
Starship is also intended to carry larger numbers of satellites and, eventually, support missions to the moon and Mars.