Starship reaches orbit for the first time and deploys 26 Starlink V3 satellites

On September 28, 2026, SpaceX sent Starship into Earth orbit for the first time. The fourteenth flight of the system lifted off from the Starbase pad at 12:48 UTC. For the first time the ship did not stop at a suborbital trajectory: it reached orbit and deployed an operational payload.

The 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites it carried to orbit began operating normally. The Super Heavy Booster 21 completed ascent, hot-staging and its return burn, then splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. Several of its engines failed during descent, but the landing remained controlled.

For a time the outcome of the mission was unclear: during ascent one of Ship 41's six Raptor engines shut down early. Flight directors initially said the ship would not go to orbit. After review, engineers confirmed a sufficient reliability margin, and SpaceX performed the acceleration burn: Ship 41 reached an orbit about 275 km high.

They decided not to fly the full profile. Instead of the planned six orbits and nearly ten hours of flight, the company used the first opportunity to check the satellites after deployment and brought the ship back early. Ship 41 reentered the atmosphere and at about 15:57 UTC, three hours after launch, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

Even the shortened flight confirmed reaching orbit, deploying an operational payload, leaving orbit and a controlled reentry. Before this, Starship had flown suborbital trajectories only, and its payloads were mock-ups and test vehicles.

Before the flight, Elon Musk said the 14th mission would be the last before an attempt to catch the second stage, and put the odds of success on the first try at 50-60 percent. Whether SpaceX will keep that attempt on the 15th flight had not been publicly reported as of September 28.

Translation editor: Ловушкин А.