SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time in Landmark Test Flight

SpaceX's Starship megarocket has reached orbit for the first time during a 14th test flight launched from Texas on September 28, 2026. The black-and-silver spacecraft stands more than 120 meters tall and rose through a thick cloud of smoke on its ambitious journey.

Flight Details

The upper stage separated from the Super Heavy booster and reached orbit about 26 minutes into the flight after the launch team decided to perform a second burn as a precaution. Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, explained that the second burn required more forces and complex calculations because the rocket had to do different things under varying levels of gravity. The spacecraft deployed 26 next-generation Starlink satellites into a circular orbit about 275 kilometers above the Earth.

Mission Conclusion

While the test was originally planned to last about 10 hours and circle the Earth six times, engineers made the decision to de-orbit the spacecraft only three hours into the flight after experiencing engine trouble, completing two orbits instead. The upper stage glided back down through the atmosphere, re-lit its engines to slow its descent, and touched down vertically in the Pacific Ocean before sinking onto its side and being engulfed by an explosion. The first-stage Super Heavy booster fell into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico shortly after launch without an attempted return to the base.

Context

Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever designed and forms a crucial part of SpaceX's long-term plans to conduct commercial flights, deploy data centers in orbit, and send crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA is also relying on a modified version of the spacecraft to land American astronauts on the lunar surface. Despite reaching space for the first time, SpaceX still faces major technical hurdles, including proving that the ship can be safely refueled while in orbit before it can fulfill its full commercial potential.