Jakarta, ThedailyID — SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time on Monday, September 28, 2026. The spacecraft also deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites during the mission.
The achievement came despite an engine failure that forced SpaceX to shorten the flight. The 14th uncrewed test flight was initially planned to last 10 hours but ended after about three hours.
The mission also marked Starship’s first commercial flight to generate revenue. However, SpaceX is still developing the rocket’s final design.
The nearly 40-story vehicle launched from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. The Super Heavy booster carried Starship’s upper stage into space before returning toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Several booster engines reportedly stopped working during the descent. Meanwhile, one of Starship’s three main engines shut down early after separating from Super Heavy.
SpaceX initially decided not to attempt orbital insertion because of the engine problem. However, engineers later confirmed that another engine could still fire, allowing Starship to continue toward orbit.
Starship eventually reached an altitude of about 269 kilometers and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites one by one.
“All 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites have been deployed and are operating normally,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote on X on Monday.
Dean Sladen, a quality manager and aerospace engineer at Accu Components, called the deployment of all 26 satellites into the target orbit a major achievement. He also highlighted the engineering challenge of managing the engine failure during ascent.
Engine problems have also appeared during several previous suborbital Starship flights. The issue remains important because the engines will need to control the spacecraft during future missions, including NASA’s planned lunar missions.
After completing the shortened mission, Starship made a controlled descent toward the Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft rotated into a vertical position before hitting the water.
Flames engulfed the lower section as Starship reached the ocean surface. The vehicle then tipped over, followed by a large fireball.
SpaceX did not plan to recover the spacecraft from the ocean after the test. The company instead used the flight to gather data and demonstrate Starship’s orbital capabilities.
The orbital achievement came after years of delays. Musk had previously predicted that Starship would reach orbit in 2022, followed by satellite deployment in 2023.
However, all 13 previous test flights since 2023 had remained on suborbital trajectories. None had previously reached orbit.
SpaceX developed Starship to accelerate Starlink satellite launches and support NASA’s missions to the Moon. According to the company, Starlink V3 satellites can handle up to 10 times more data than the V2 Mini generation.
Musk has said SpaceX aims to launch 60 V3 satellites per flight once Starship begins regular operations.
