STARBASE, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – SpaceX’s Starship successfully entered Earth orbit for the first time on September 28, 2026, marking a milestone during its 14th full-scale test flight. The spacecraft was launched from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas using a Super Heavy booster. Despite losing one of its primary Raptor engines during ascent, Starship managed to reach orbit and deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, marking the first time the spacecraft accomplished an orbital payload deployment.
The engine shut down earlier than planned after Starship separated from the Super Heavy booster. Flight controllers initially assessed whether the spacecraft still had the necessary capability to proceed safely. After engineers verified sufficient system redundancy, the remaining engines guided Starship through its intended orbital insertion. Previous test flights of Starship had only followed suborbital paths, making Flight 14 the first to place the vehicle into a sustained Earth orbit.
SpaceX initially envisioned a nearly 10-hour mission with around six orbits around Earth. The plan included a controlled deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. 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 about 270 kilometers altitude and then started its return journey.
Starship completes its inaugural orbital satellite deployment
This deployment represented the first occasion on which Starship carried operational satellites into orbit. The V3 satellites belong to a newer generation of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation, which requires the increased payload capacity only Starship can provide. SpaceX confirmed that all 26 satellites separated successfully during the orbital phase. The event also demonstrated Starship’s capability to carry and release a sizable satellite payload upon reaching the designated orbit.
The Super Heavy booster followed a separate landing profile after stage separation, attempting its planned touchdown over the Gulf of Mexico. However, several engines did not perform as expected during descent, resulting in a hard splashdown. Starship later re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and descended toward the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii instead of the original splashdown zone west of Chile.
The flight concludes after a three-hour, shortened mission
Starship completed its controlled descent and reached the Pacific Ocean after about three hours in flight. The spacecraft tipped over upon reaching the water, with flames visible around the vehicle. SpaceX has no plans to recover Starship or the Super Heavy booster from the water following this test. The mission ended after the spacecraft achieved its first orbital insertion and deployed its first operational satellite payload, despite the engine malfunction and the reduced flight duration.
NASA maintains a direct connection with Starship through its Artemis lunar program. The agency is collaborating with SpaceX on a modified Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III and Artemis IV missions, which will ferry astronauts between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface. An uncrewed lunar demonstration is a prerequisite before Starship can carry crew members under the Artemis program. Flight 14 was solely an Earth-orbit test of the standard Starship system and did not include crew members.