SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time during its 14th test flight from Starbase in south Texas on Monday, despite an unexpected engine shutdown during ascent. The mission carried 26 next-generation Starlink satellites, completed orbital insertion and then ended early with a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after the flight was cut to about three hours.
One of the upper-stage engines shut down earlier than planned, briefly putting the attempt in doubt before mission control cleared the vehicle to continue. SpaceX had originally planned a much longer multi-orbit test, but shortened the flight after the anomaly. The result gives the company a key demonstration that Starship can survive an engine failure and still reach orbit, an important step for the programme’s future launch and satellite deployment ambitions.