Starship reached Earth orbit during its 14th full-size flight after controllers assessed an upper-stage engine that shut down early. Its booster came down in the Gulf of Mexico, and the upper stage began releasing Starlink satellites. The long orbital coast and planned Pacific splashdown had not concluded at the frozen filing time.
SpaceX's 14th full-size Starship test left its Texas launch site with a long orbital flight planned. The Super Heavy booster separated from the upper stage and came down in the Gulf of Mexico. One upper-stage engine then stopped earlier than expected. Controllers paused the decision on the additional burn required to enter orbit while they assessed the vehicle, and then cleared the attempt to continue.[1], [2]
The next burn carried the upper stage into Earth orbit, a first for Starship after earlier tests had reached space without completing an orbital flight. Live coverage placed it at roughly 275 kilometers above Earth. This was a milestone for the test vehicle, but the orbit decision followed an engine anomaly rather than an entirely trouble-free ascent. The flight was still in progress when the orbit milestone was reported.[1], [2]
Starship began releasing 26 Starlink V3 satellites after orbital insertion. Space.com subsequently reported that all of them had left the vehicle, while the BBC account had confirmed only the start of deployment at its earlier update. The planned extended coast, further circuits of Earth and controlled Pacific splashdown remained separate objectives. Reaching orbit and releasing payloads did not yet establish that the vehicle could finish the long flight or return safely.[1], [2]
