SpaceX’s Starship Reaches Orbit for the First Time on 14th Flight

For the first time, SpaceX’s Starship rocket has reached orbit. The company said its 14th test flight successfully performed an orbital insertion burn and entered a circular orbit 170 miles above Earth. The flight, which began at Starbase, Texas, took just over 25 minutes to reach that orbit, according to SpaceX.

The milestone comes after years of promises and several failed attempts. Since its first launch in 2023, Starship had not achieved stable orbit. This flight, while successful in its primary objective, was not without issues: one of the spacecraft’s six engines failed during ascent, requiring the other engines to compensate. The booster also did not return to the launch tower for a “chopstick” recovery; instead, it made a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship upper stage was planned for a multi-orbit mission but was brought down early after deploying its payload.

That payload was operational: 26 Starlink satellites, released using a system SpaceX likens to a Pez dispenser. The launch was not just a test but a mission to add to the existing constellation of roughly 11,000 Starlink satellites, which SpaceX aims to expand to 100,000.

Starship is central to SpaceX’s future and to NASA’s Artemis program. In 2021, NASA selected Starship as one of two landers for astronauts to the moon, with a crewed test planned for 2027 and a potential landing as early as 2028. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is providing the other lander. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on the orbital success, calling it “inspirational” and expressing hope that such missions become routine.

The rocket is the most powerful ever launched, with 33 first-stage engines producing 16.7 million pounds of thrust, far exceeding NASA’s Space Launch System. Its size and payload capacity—roughly equivalent to five Falcon 9 rockets—are intended to consolidate launches and reduce costs. Falcon 9, which accounted for over half of global commercial launches in 2025, is expected to be eventually replaced by Starship.

However, significant hurdles remain before Starship can carry humans. The spacecraft requires extensive modifications for crew, and a complex orbital refueling process involving multiple tanker launches must be solved. It still needs to complete an uncrewed lunar landing and liftoff before astronauts can be trusted to fly. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has spoken of launching Starships as often as once a day, but for now the company is celebrating a single, long-awaited success. As the source notes, spaceflight is iterative, and this flight represents a major increment.

Attribution: This article is based on reporting by TIME Technology.