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SpaceX launched Starship into orbit on Monday, September 28, 2026, carrying 26 Starlink satellites as it seeks to demonstrate readiness for NASA's Artemis program. An engine shut down early, but flight controllers continued the mission, which was planned to circle Earth six times before a Pacific splashdown.
SpaceX launched its enormous Starship into orbit for the first time on Monday, September 28, 2026, carrying 26 Starlink satellites. The flight is intended to demonstrate the vehicle's readiness for NASA's Artemis moon program.
Starship Reaches Historic Orbital Milestone
The launch was reported at 7:07 a.m. EDT, with an update published at 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft nearly missed the long-sought orbital milestone after one of its engines shut down too soon. With the rest of the vehicle working well and the engine no longer needed, flight controllers decided to proceed after several tense minutes. Mission Control announced, 'Starship is orbital,' drawing cheers.
The satellites, described as the latest and most advanced Starlink models, emerged from the spacecraft one by one. Their deployment prompted more cheers from SpaceX spectators at the company's Starbase launch site in Texas. The 26 satellites are joining about 11,000 older models already providing internet service. The flight was Starship's 14th full-scale launch in three years from the southern tip of Texas.
Ambitious Six-Trip Orbital Test Plan
Earlier test flights traveled no farther than the Indian Ocean, halfway around the world, and often ended in fiery crashes after briefly skimming space. For this mission, SpaceX planned to send Starship around Earth six times from an altitude of 170 miles, or 275 kilometers, over almost 10 hours. The planned route ends with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Chile.
The first-stage booster was also expected to fall into the Gulf of Mexico within minutes of the morning liftoff, rather than return to Starbase. SpaceX wants to verify that the spacecraft works safely before bringing it back to the launch site. If it broke apart over land and scattered debris on people, Elon Musk said at a business summit earlier this month, 'our popularity would diminish very rapidly.
' He added, 'That's why we're being extremely cautious here. ' If the orbital debut goes well, the next Starship is expected to return to the launch pad, where giant mechanical arms would try to catch the hovering spacecraft. Musk has put the chances of a successful catch at even or slightly better. If it works, SpaceX plans to fly the spacecraft again by the end of the year or early next year.
Starship Reusability and NASA Certification
The 407-foot, or 124-meter, rocket was designed to be fully reusable, a feature intended to lower launch costs. In July, SpaceX managed to salvage the previous Starship from the Indian Ocean. That recovered vehicle is being tugged back to Starbase, and engineers used hands-on inspections of it to make changes to the heat shield on the newly launched spacecraft. SpaceX is working to certify Starship for orbital flight, a crucial step toward journeys to the moon and Mars.
NASA's Artemis III mission could take place as soon as next summer. The planned mission involves three launches and an orbital docking exercise around Earth, bringing together an Orion capsule carrying astronauts and competing lunar landers. Jeff Bezos' Blue Moon lander is expected to launch first, followed by Orion, which will close in for a linkup. Musk's Starship would then dock with Orion after Blue Moon departs.
Competing Plans for Lunar Landers
Artemis IV, planned for no sooner than 2028, would send astronauts to the lunar surface aboard either Blue Moon or Starship, depending on which lander is ready first. Later moon missions are expected to alternate between the two billionaires' landers. Musk originally developed Starship for Mars, with plans to launch scores of vehicles carrying the first settlers to the red planet. His current plans focus on the moon and using Starship to carry large numbers of satellites into orbit.
SpaceX aims to phase out its less robust Falcon 9 rocket within several years. A second Starship launch site is nearing completion at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, and a third is planned for Louisiana. The orbital flight and the proposed return and catch attempt are part of SpaceX's effort to establish Starship as a reusable vehicle for satellite launches and future lunar and Mars missions.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Spacex Starship Starship Orbital Launch Starlink Satellites NASA Artemis Program Reusable Rockets
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