STARBASE, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – SpaceX’s Starship made its inaugural Earth orbit on September 28, 2026, during its 14th full-scale testing mission. The vehicle lifted off from the company’s Starbase site in South Texas atop a Super Heavy booster. Despite losing one of its main Raptor engines during ascent, Starship successfully entered orbit and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, marking its first orbital payload release.
The engine cut out early after Starship separated from the Super Heavy booster. Flight controllers initially assessed whether the spacecraft had enough power to continue safely. Engineers confirmed sufficient system redundancy, allowing the remaining engines to guide Starship through its orbital insertion. Previously, Starship test flights followed suborbital paths, making Flight 14 the first to place the spacecraft into a stable Earth orbit.
Initially, SpaceX planned a nearly 10-hour mission, completing around six orbits and executing a controlled deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific west of Chile. However, following the engine issue, the duration was cut to about three hours. The vehicle still released all 26 Starlink V3 satellites at an altitude near 270 kilometers before beginning its descent.
Starship Successfully Deploys Its First Operational Satellites in Orbit
This mission marked the first time Starship carried operational satellites into space. The V3 model, a newer generation of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband units, demands the higher payload capacity that Starship provides. SpaceX confirmed that all 26 satellites separated from the vehicle during orbit. This deployment also proved Starship’s capability to carry and release substantial satellite payloads at its designated orbit.
Following stage separation, the Super Heavy booster executed its return profile separately. It attempted a planned landing burn over the Gulf of Mexico, but several engines malfunctioned during descent. The booster made a hard splashdown in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Starship reentered Earth’s atmosphere and descended toward the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii instead of the initially intended splashdown zone west of Chile.
Flight Concludes After Shortened Three-Hour Mission
Starship completed its controlled descent in the Pacific after roughly three hours. It tipped over upon reaching the water, with flames visible around the vehicle. SpaceX did not plan recovery operations for either Starship or the Super Heavy booster following this test. Despite the engine failure and abbreviated mission, the flight successfully achieved its primary goals: orbital insertion and deployment of its first operational satellite payload.
NASA maintains a connection to Starship through its Artemis lunar program, collaborating with SpaceX on a modified Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III and Artemis IV missions. This lunar variant will transfer astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface. NASA requires an uncrewed lunar demonstration before Starship can carry crew for crewed missions. Flight 14 was solely an Earth-orbit test of the standard Starship system and did not include a crew.