SpaceX Reaches Orbit With Starship for First Time, Deploys Starlink Satellites

SpaceX achieved a first on Monday: its Starship rocket reached Earth orbit, according to CNET. The uncrewed flight also released 26 of the newest Starlink satellites into orbit.

The launch took place at 8:48 a.m. ET from SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. Starship, which stands 407 feet tall, is the largest launch vehicle ever designed, 44 feet taller than NASA's retired Saturn V. The rocket reached an altitude of 170 miles and a speed of 17,500 mph.

The planned 10-hour orbit, which would have included six laps around Earth, was cut to three hours by SpaceX's control team. After reentering the atmosphere, Starship splashed down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii at 11:58 a.m. ET. It tipped over and caught fire after landing.

Before reaching orbit, one of the more than three dozen engines on Starship stopped working. SpaceX engineers conferred for several minutes before deciding to continue the flight. The company did not say whether the engine shutdown played a role in shortening the mission.

This was the 14th launch of Starship. Of the previous 13 test flights, several ended in crashes over the Indian Ocean, some intentional and some accidental. No injuries have been reported from any of the crashes.

The long-term goal for SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk is a fully reusable Starship to reduce launch costs. In that scenario, the first-stage booster would return to the launch site after separating, and the Starship itself would land vertically back on Earth.

Musk originally envisioned Starship as a vehicle for reaching Mars and possibly carrying human colonists. His current priority, however, is deploying Starlink satellites, with plans for more than 100,000 in orbit. SpaceX is also planning two additional launch sites: one at Florida's Kennedy Space Center and another in Vermilion Parish along Louisiana's Gulf Coast.

SpaceX wants NASA to certify Starship in time for the Artemis III mission, which could occur next summer. In that mission, a NASA Orion capsule with astronauts would dock with Jeff Bezos' Blue Moon lander and later with Musk's Starship. Under the current plan, astronauts would land on the moon in either Blue Moon or Starship during Artemis IV, slated for 2028 at the earliest, with subsequent moon landings alternating between the two vehicles.

The orbital flight represents a step forward for SpaceX's ambitions, though the engine failure and shortened mission show that the vehicle is still in testing. The deployment of advanced Starlink satellites ties directly to Musk's near-term business goal of expanding his satellite internet constellation. NASA's reliance on Starship for Artemis introduces a dependency on SpaceX's progress, while Blue Origin's Blue Moon offers an alternative for lunar landings. The broader technology market will watch whether SpaceX can make Starship reusable and whether NASA certification arrives in time for Artemis III.