SpaceX’s Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight on Monday, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites before the uncrewed mission ended earlier than planned. The vehicle launched from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, and splashed down in the northern Pacific near Hawaii after mission control cut the flight short following an engine issue during ascent.
The flight was originally planned as a roughly 10-hour, six-orbit test, but one of Starship’s main engines shut down prematurely after separation from the Super Heavy booster. SpaceX shortened the mission to about three hours while keeping the test’s main objectives intact. The booster still completed a controlled splashdown.
The deployment was Starship’s first operational payload release and a key step for SpaceX’s heavy-lift architecture. The 26 satellites were reported to be operating normally after deployment, giving the company its first orbital Starlink payload delivery from the vehicle. The result advances Starship’s role in future Starlink expansion and in longer-term lunar and Mars transport plans.