International
oi-Prakash KL
SpaceX’s Starship has achieved a breakthrough that had remained out of reach through its first 13 test flights – reaching orbit and deploying satellites in space.
The giant spacecraft completed the feat on Monday during its 14th test flight, releasing 26 next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. The achievement came despite an engine failure that forced SpaceX to change its flight plan midway through the mission.
SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit on Monday during its 14th test flight, deploying 26 Starlink satellites in its first operational, revenue-generating mission, marking a significant milestone after years of development and investment.
The flight was initially expected to continue for about 10 hours. However, one of Starship’s three engines shut down soon after the spacecraft separated from its Super Heavy booster, raising questions over whether it could complete the planned mission.
SpaceX initially indicated that Starship would not attempt to reach orbit. Engineers later found that the spacecraft could use its other engines to continue the flight, allowing it to reach orbit successfully.
The successful deployment of the Starlink satellites added another dimension to the mission. This was not simply another demonstration flight for SpaceX. The spacecraft was carrying an operational payload for the first time, making Monday’s mission Starship’s first commercial, revenue-generating flight.
The 26 Starlink V3 satellites were released individually at an altitude of around 269 km. Elon Musk later said all of them had been deployed and were operating normally.
Starlink enabling real-time video streaming from orbit 🛰️🚀 https://t.co/nW23bsCtnS
— Starlink (@Starlink) September 28, 2026
The satellites are designed to significantly increase the capacity of SpaceX’s broadband network. According to the company, each V3 satellite can handle up to 10 times more data than the V2 mini satellites currently being launched on Falcon 9 rockets.
For SpaceX, the development is important because Starship is expected to eventually allow the company to put much larger batches of Starlink satellites into orbit. Musk has said the long-term plan is to launch around 60 V3 satellites at a time once Starship enters regular service.
The flight also demonstrated the separate capabilities of Starship’s two-stage system. After lifting the spacecraft into space, the Super Heavy booster returned towards the Gulf of Mexico and carried out a controlled splashdown. SpaceX said some of its engines stopped working during the descent.
Starship continued its mission before beginning its own return over the Pacific. The spacecraft performed a manoeuvre to position itself vertically before hitting the ocean. Flames were seen around its base as it touched down, and the vehicle later fell onto its side.
SpaceX had not planned to recover the upper-stage spacecraft from the ocean.
A Long-Awaited Milestone
Reaching orbit has been one of the biggest targets of the Starship programme. All 13 earlier flights since 2023 had remained in suborbital flight.
The achievement comes after years of development and more than $15 billion in spending on the programme. Starship is central to SpaceX’s plans to expand Starlink, while NASA is also counting on a version of the spacecraft for future missions to the Moon.
Monday’s flight, however, also showed that the rocket is not yet free of technical problems. Engine failures have occurred during previous Starship tests, and reliable engine performance will be particularly important for future missions that require the spacecraft to manoeuvre extensively in space.
SpaceX now faces the task of turning this breakthrough into a dependable launch system.
Musk has set an ambitious target for Starship, saying the spacecraft could eventually fly hundreds or even thousands of missions each year. For now, Monday’s orbital success provides the programme with its biggest demonstration yet that Starship can move beyond testing and begin performing real missions.
The successful Starlink deployment is therefore an important step for SpaceX’s plans to put Starship into routine commercial use, even as engineers continue to address the problems exposed during the flight.
