Starship reaches orbit for first time, deploys 26 Starlink satellites before Pacific splashdown

SpaceX’s Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time on Monday and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink satellites before ending its landmark test flight with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, marking a major milestone for Elon Musk’s giant reusable rocket programme.

The mission, designated Flight 14, lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas aboard the Starship-Super Heavy combination. Despite an engine shutting down during ascent, the spacecraft continued its flight and achieved orbit, a milestone that had eluded the Starship programme during its previous 13 test flights.

Orbit achieved

Starship climbed to an altitude of about 275 km after separating from the Super Heavy booster. One of the spacecraft’s six engines shut down earlier than planned during ascent, initially raising questions over whether the vehicle would be able to complete orbital insertion.

Mission controllers subsequently determined that the affected engine was not required for the next phase and proceeded with the mission. SpaceX later confirmed that Starship had achieved orbit.

26 satellites deployed

The flight also marked the first time Starship deployed Starlink satellites into Earth orbit. The spacecraft carried 26 Starlink V3 satellites, SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft designed to substantially increase the capacity of its satellite internet network.

The deployment demonstrated a capability central to SpaceX’s plans for Starship. The company eventually intends to use the giant rocket to launch significantly larger batches of Starlink satellites than can be carried aboard its Falcon 9 rockets.

Booster splashes down

After separating from Starship, the Super Heavy booster performed its planned return manoeuvres before making a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX did not attempt to recover or catch the booster at Starbase during this flight.

The manoeuvre was intended to generate additional data on booster performance during descent and landing operations as SpaceX works towards making both stages of the Starship system rapidly reusable.

Pacific return

Starship was designed to spend several hours in orbit, circling Earth before beginning its atmospheric re-entry. The spacecraft subsequently headed towards its targeted splashdown zone in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

The vehicle was not intended to be recovered after the mission. Its ocean impact formed part of the planned end of the test flight, allowing SpaceX to collect data on re-entry, thermal protection and vehicle control during the spacecraft’s return from orbital velocity.

A major milestone

Flight 14 represented a significant advance over the previous Starship mission in July. During Flight 13, Starship deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites on a suborbital trajectory and completed a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, but the satellites later re-entered Earth’s atmosphere as planned.

Monday’s mission took the programme a step further by demonstrating orbital flight and putting Starlink satellites into orbit. The achievement is important to SpaceX’s plans to turn Starship into a fully and rapidly reusable heavy-lift transportation system.

Moon, Mars ambitions

Starship is central to Musk’s long-term ambition of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon and Mars. A modified version of the spacecraft is also part of NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface under its Artemis programme.

SpaceX still has several major technologies to demonstrate before Starship can undertake those missions, including rapid reusability, reliable atmospheric re-entry, orbital propellant transfer and increasingly complex landing operations. Flight 14, however, gave the company its first demonstration of Starship operating as an orbital launch vehicle.