SpaceX’s Starship Reaches Orbit on 14th Flight Test

SpaceX’s Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time during its 14th flight test on Monday, September 28, a milestone for the company’s effort to develop a reusable rocket for satellite launches and future missions to the Moon and Mars. Mission Control announced the orbital insertion as the flight continued, but the available reports did not establish whether the spacecraft completed the rest of its planned mission. One of Starship’s engines shut down or malfunctioned after launch. Flight controllers proceeded with orbital insertion because the engine was no longer needed for that stage of the flight, according to reports describing the decision. The rocket had lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in southern Texas. The mission plan called for Starship to carry 26 Starlink V3 satellites and attempt six circuits of Earth over roughly 10 hours. Those operations, along with a controlled reentry and a splashdown in the Pacific, were still prospective in accounts published while the flight was underway. Reaching orbit therefore marked a major step, but did not by itself confirm that the satellites were deployed or that Starship returned safely.