STARBASE, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – SpaceX’s Starship achieved its inaugural Earth orbit on September 28, 2026, marking a major milestone during its 14th full-scale test flight. 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 and subsequently deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, making it the first time the spacecraft delivered an orbital payload.
The engine shut down earlier than planned after Starship separated from the Super Heavy booster. Initial assessments by flight controllers focused on whether the spacecraft had enough capability to continue its mission safely. Engineers confirmed that the remaining engines provided sufficient redundancy, allowing Starship to complete its intended orbital insertion. Unlike previous suborbital flights, Flight 14 was the first to place the vehicle into a stable Earth orbit.
Originally, SpaceX envisioned a nearly 10-hour mission involving approximately six orbits around Earth. The plan also included a controlled deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. Due to the engine issue, the duration was cut to roughly three hours, but all 26 Starlink V3 satellites were released at an altitude of around 270 kilometers before the spacecraft began its return journey.
Starship Makes Historic First Deployment of Operational Satellites
This mission marked the first time Starship carried operational satellites into orbit. The V3 series of spacecraft represents a newer generation of SpaceX’s broadband satellites, designed to take advantage of Starship’s larger payload capacity. SpaceX confirmed that all 26 satellites successfully separated from the vehicle during the orbital phase. The event demonstrated Starship’s capability to carry and deploy a significant satellite payload after reaching its designated orbit.
Following stage separation, the Super Heavy booster engaged its return profile independently. It attempted to execute its planned landing burn over the Gulf of Mexico, but several engines underperformed during descent. The booster ultimately completed a hard splashdown in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Starship reentered Earth’s atmosphere and descended toward the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii, deviating from the original plan to splash down west of Chile.
Mission Concludes After a Brief Three-Hour Flight
Starship’s controlled descent concluded with a splashdown in the Pacific after roughly three hours in flight. The vehicle tipped over upon reaching the ocean surface, and flames became visible around it. SpaceX did not intend to recover either Starship or the Super Heavy booster after this test. Despite the engine malfunction and shortened profile, the mission achieved its primary goals: orbital insertion and deployment of its first operational satellite payload.
NASA maintains a direct link to 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 variant will facilitate astronaut transfers between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface. NASA requires an uncrewed lunar demonstration before Starship can carry crew members in the context of this program. Flight 14 was solely an Earth-orbit test of the standard Starship system and did not include crewed operations.