SpaceX's Starship rocket achieved a major milestone on Monday, reaching orbit for the first time in its 14th test flight since 2023. The 120-metre-tall vehicle — described by SpaceX as the most powerful launch vehicle ever built — launched from the company's Starbase complex near Brownsville, Texas, and successfully deployed 26 next-generation Starlink satellites before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean roughly three hours after liftoff.
The mission did not go entirely to plan. Shortly after the Super Heavy booster separated and fell back toward the Gulf of Mexico, one of the upper stage's three Raptor engines shut down unexpectedly. A SpaceX spokesperson initially told viewers watching the company's live stream that the craft would be unable to reach orbit, but engineers quickly reassessed and gave the go-ahead for a second engine burn. That manoeuvre, performed in just 18 seconds, was enough to push Starship to a circular orbit approximately 270 kilometres above Earth. "Starship is orbital," a member of the launch team announced, to loud cheers. The mission had been planned to last 10 hours and include six orbits, but was cut short as a precaution following the engine issue. The booster also experienced engine problems during its descent and exploded on contact with the sea — though such outcomes have been common in previous tests.
Despite the complications, the flight delivered tangible results. All 26 Starlink V3 satellites were successfully deployed and confirmed operational. SpaceX says the new V3 satellites can handle ten times more data than the V2 mini-satellites previously launched on the company's Falcon 9 rockets, and analysts estimate the deployment represents hundreds of millions of dollars in projected revenue for SpaceX's Starlink broadband unit.
Reaching orbit is a fundamental benchmark for any rocket designed to carry payloads to space, and one that had eluded Starship despite nearly a decade of development and more than $15 billion in investment. All 13 previous test flights were suborbital — the vehicle reached space but fell back to Earth without completing a full orbit. Elon Musk had predicted orbital flight would be achieved in 2022. The rocket is central to NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, and is intended eventually to carry up to 100 people on interplanetary missions to Mars. However, significant challenges remain, including in-orbit refuelling — a procedure not yet tested — and questions from experts about near-term commercial viability. Environmental groups, including Greenpeace, have also raised concerns about the ecological impact of high-frequency launches and the thousands of satellites SpaceX intends to place in orbit.
Monday's flight came three months after SpaceX's high-profile stock market debut, and sets the stage for what the company hopes will be an accelerated phase of development. SpaceX says it intends to begin routine Starship operations later this year, eventually launching satellites in batches of 60 per flight.