SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on Monday for its most ambitious test yet—a roughly 10-hour mission designed to circle the Earth six times. The launch marked the vehicle’s 14th flight and its first attempt to reach orbital velocity, a critical step beyond previous suborbital profiles that ended in splashdowns roughly an hour after liftoff.
Minutes into the uncrewed ascent, the vehicle lost one of its Raptor engines, casting doubt on whether the spacecraft could achieve its orbital target. After several tense minutes of analysis, flight controllers determined the ship was “go” for orbit and pressed ahead with the mission profile. Starship successfully executed an orbital insertion burn using a single Raptor engine, reaching orbit approximately 26 minutes after liftoff.
“Starship is orbital,” Mission Control announced, prompting cheers from the launch team.
The SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy v3 Booster lift off on its 14th test flight from the SpaceX launch complex in Starbase, Texas, Sept. 28, 2026. The mission is expected to send the vehicle into orbit for the first time and deploy 26 Starlink V3 sat (REUTERS/Steve Nesius / Reuters Photos)
The mission also aims to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites before the spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. All Starship flights to date have been uncrewed, though NASA has contracted a future variant to serve as the lunar lander for the Artemis program. SpaceX’s long-term vision involves a large fleet of Starships capable of transporting humans to Mars.
The SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy v3 Booster lift off on its 14h test flight from the SpaceX launch complex in Starbase, Texas, Sept. 28, 2026. The mission is expected to send the vehicle into orbit for the first time and deploy 26 Starlink V3 sate (REUTERS/Steve Nesius / Reuters Photos)
