SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket into orbit from Texas to deploy Starlink satellites after overcoming an early engine failure.
The Space Exploration Technologies Corp. successfully launched its Starship rocket into orbit for the first time on September 28, 2026. Launching from the Starbase complex near Brownsville, Texas, the uncrewed vehicle achieved orbit despite one engine shutting down earlier than planned.
SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot initially stated the craft would be unable to reach orbit, but he reversed the statement after engineers confirmed a key engine firing could still boost the vessel. The mission marks the company's most ambitious effort to date, following 13 previous suborbital test flights and a development cost exceeding $15 billion.
The vehicle is scheduled for a 10-hour voyage and six orbits of Earth to attempt the deployment of its first batch of Starlink satellites. The mission will conclude with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.
