STARBASE, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – SpaceX’s Starship entered Earth orbit for the first time on September 28, 2026, marking a milestone during its 14th full-scale flight test. The spacecraft was launched from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas atop a Super Heavy booster. Despite losing one of its primary Raptor engines during ascent, Starship successfully reached orbit and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, completing its inaugural orbital payload deployment.
The engine shut down early after Starship separated from the Super Heavy booster. Flight controllers initially assessed whether the spacecraft could continue its mission safely. Engineers confirmed that the remaining engines provided enough redundancy, allowing Starship to proceed with its planned orbital insertion. Previous test flights of Starship had involved suborbital trajectories, making Flight 14 the first to put the spacecraft into a sustained Earth orbit.
Initially, SpaceX aimed for a nearly 10-hour mission that would have completed about six orbits around Earth. The plan also included a controlled deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. However, due to the engine issue, the company shortened the mission and wrapped it up in roughly three hours. Before beginning its descent, Starship released all 26 Starlink V3 satellites at an altitude of approximately 270 kilometers.
Starship successfully conducts first satellite deployment in orbit
This deployment of Starlink satellites represented the first time Starship carried operational payloads into orbit. The V3 satellites are a newer generation of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation, requiring the increased payload capacity offered by Starship. SpaceX verified that all 26 satellites separated from the vehicle during the orbital phase. The event also proved Starship’s capability to carry and release a substantial satellite payload after reaching its designated orbit.
The Super Heavy booster followed a separate return trajectory after stage separation. It attempted its planned landing burn over the Gulf of Mexico, but some engines did not function as intended during descent. The booster performed 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 splashdown area west of Chile.
Mission concludes after approximately three hours due to shortened flight
Starship completed its controlled descent and reached the Pacific Ocean after roughly three hours of flight. After touchdown, the spacecraft toppled over, and flames became visible around the vehicle. SpaceX did not plan to recover either Starship or the Super Heavy booster from the water following this test. Despite the engine malfunction and the abbreviated mission profile, the flight successfully achieved its first orbital insertion and delivered its first operational satellite payload.
NASA also has a direct connection to Starship through its Artemis lunar program. The agency collaborates with SpaceX on a modified Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III and Artemis IV missions. That lunar version will transport astronauts between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface. NASA requires an uncrewed lunar demonstration prior to Starship carrying astronauts under the program. Flight 14 remained an Earth-orbit test of the standard Starship system and did not carry a crew.