STARBASE, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – SpaceX’s Starship made its inaugural journey into Earth orbit on September 28, 2026, marking a significant breakthrough for the launch vehicle. The spacecraft launched from Starbase in South Texas on its 14th full-scale Starship mission. During ascent, one Raptor engine shut down, yet the vehicle maintained its trajectory toward orbit. Prior to completing the mission, Starship released 26 Starlink V3 satellites, concluding a brief flight that lasted approximately three hours.
This orbital operation surpassed the suborbital profiles employed during earlier Starship tests. The spacecraft separated from the Super Heavy booster and continued its ascent into space. Flight controllers evaluated the engine issue before Starship achieved orbital insertion with its remaining propulsion system. This marked the first time a Starship flight remained in Earth orbit and the first to deploy operational satellites at their designated orbit.
Originally, SpaceX had scheduled a much longer, nearly 10-hour mission. The plan involved around six orbits of Earth before a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. However, the engine shutdown caused a reduction in mission duration. Prior to leaving orbit, Starship deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites at an altitude close to 270 kilometers, marking its first operational payload release.
Starship launches first operational satellites into orbit
This satellite deployment signified a key milestone, adding a commercial payload achievement to Starship’s maiden orbital mission. The V3 satellites are part of an advanced generation of the Starlink broadband network, with larger designs that position Starship as a crucial launch platform for deploying significant numbers of such satellites. All 26 units separated successfully during the orbital phase, following Starship’s first sustained orbital insertion.
Super Heavy performed its own descent after separating from Starship. The booster headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, initiating its planned landing burn over water. During descent, several engines malfunctioned, resulting in a hard splashdown. Later, Starship re-entered the atmosphere on a revised trajectory, heading toward the Pacific north of Hawaii instead of the initially planned splashdown zone near Chile.
Brief flight concludes with Pacific water landing
After roughly three hours in flight, Starship reached the Pacific Ocean, completing descent and tipping onto its side upon splashdown. Flames appeared around the vehicle post-landing. SpaceX had not intended to recover either Starship or Super Heavy from the water after this test. The mission concluded with several notable firsts, including orbital insertion, deployment of operational satellites, and a successful orbital reentry sequence.
NASA also plays a direct role in Starship’s development through the Artemis lunar program. The agency selected a modified version of Starship as a Human Landing System for upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon, designed to ferry astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface. An uncrewed lunar landing demonstration is required before crewed missions. Flight 14, however, was an Earth-orbit mission utilizing the standard Starship configuration and carried no crew.