STARBASE, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – SpaceX’s Starship made its inaugural trip into Earth’s orbit on September 28, 2026, during its 14th full-scale flight test. The vehicle was launched from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas using a Super Heavy booster. Despite losing one of its main Raptor engines during ascent, Starship successfully entered orbit. It then deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, marking the first time the spacecraft delivered an orbital payload.
The engine shut down earlier than expected after Starship separated from the Super Heavy booster. Flight controllers initially assessed whether the spacecraft had enough capability to proceed safely. After engineers verified sufficient system redundancy, the remaining engines carried Starship into its planned orbit. Previously, Starship test flights had only followed suborbital paths, making Flight 14 the first to place the spacecraft into a sustained Earth orbit.
Originally, SpaceX anticipated a mission lasting nearly 10 hours and completing about six orbits around Earth. The plan also included a controlled deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. However, following the engine issue, the company shortened the mission to roughly three hours. During this time, Starship released all 26 Starlink V3 satellites at an altitude of approximately 270 kilometers before beginning its return journey.
Starship Conducts First Operational Satellite Deployment in Orbit
The deployment of Starlink satellites marked the first occasion when Starship delivered operational payloads into orbit. The V3 satellites belong to a newer generation of SpaceX’s broadband constellation and demand the higher payload capacity that Starship provides. SpaceX confirmed that all 26 satellites separated from the vehicle during the orbital phase. This event also proved Starship’s capability to carry and release a large satellite payload once in its designated orbital environment.
The Super Heavy booster followed a separate descent profile after stage separation. It attempted its planned landing burn over the Gulf of Mexico, but several engines did not operate as intended during descent. The booster ultimately splashed down in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Starship reentered Earth’s atmosphere and headed toward the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii, instead of the initially planned splashdown area west of Chile.
Mission Concludes After Shortened Three-Hour Flight
Starship completed its controlled descent and reached the Pacific Ocean after roughly three hours. The vehicle tipped over upon landing, and flames became visible around it. SpaceX did not intend to recover either Starship or the Super Heavy booster from the water after this test. Despite the engine malfunction and shortened profile, the flight marked a successful first orbital insertion and delivery of its first operational satellite payload.
NASA maintains a direct connection with Starship through its Artemis lunar program. The agency is collaborating with SpaceX on a modified Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III and Artemis IV missions. This lunar version will transport astronauts between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface. NASA requires an uncrewed lunar demonstration before Starship carries crew members as part of the program. Flight 14 was solely an Earth-orbit test of the standard Starship system and did not include a crew onboard.”}]