Texas: SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft reached orbit for the first time on Monday, marking a major milestone in the development of the company’s giant reusable rocket. The uncrewed vehicle also deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites during the test flight, but the mission ended several hours earlier than originally planned.
Starship lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas on Monday morning. The flight was the 14th integrated test of the Starship and Super Heavy system and was the first mission in which the spacecraft reached Earth orbit.
The achievement marked a significant change from earlier Starship tests. The previous 13 integrated flights had remained on suborbital trajectories, making Flight 14 the first Starship mission to reach orbit.
During Monday’s flight, Starship separated from its Super Heavy booster and continued its journey into space. The spacecraft then carried out an orbital insertion manoeuvre and reached low Earth orbit.
The flight was not completed according to the original plan, however. One of Starship’s six Raptor engines shut down prematurely during the mission. After reviewing telemetry, SpaceX determined that the spacecraft could still proceed with the orbital insertion and continued the flight.
Starship later deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. The satellites were released at an altitude of roughly 269 kilometres and were placed into orbit, unlike the Starlink satellites deployed during the previous Starship test, which were on a suborbital trajectory.
The deployment was another important milestone for SpaceX because it demonstrated Starship’s ability to carry and release Starlink satellites in orbit.
The company had planned a much longer test lasting about 10 hours and involving six orbits of Earth. Instead, Starship returned to Earth after roughly three hours in space.
The exact reason for ending the mission earlier than planned was not immediately clear. The engine shutdown was one of the significant problems recorded during the flight, but SpaceX had not immediately provided a detailed public explanation of the decision to end the test early.
Starship eventually made a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The Super Heavy booster returned separately and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
The flight also advances SpaceX’s effort to develop Starship as a reusable orbital system capable of carrying satellites, cargo and eventually people.
Starship is designed as a two stage system. The Super Heavy booster provides the initial thrust needed to leave Earth, while the Starship spacecraft continues into space and is designed to carry payloads and people.
The latest test builds on progress made during the two previous Starship flights. Flight 12 in May tested a newer version of the vehicle and included an engine shutdown during ascent. Flight 13 in July successfully deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites, although those satellites were placed on a suborbital path and were expected to return to Earth.
The 26 satellites deployed on Monday therefore represented a further step towards using Starship for orbital missions.
The test is also important for NASA’s plans for future lunar missions. NASA is working with SpaceX on a version of Starship intended to serve as a human landing system for its Artemis programme. Starship is being developed to transport astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon as part of the programme.
However, reaching orbit does not mean that Starship is ready for crewed lunar missions. The company still needs to demonstrate reliable and repeated launches, orbital operations and other capabilities required for human spaceflight and lunar missions.
For SpaceX, the latest flight provided both a major achievement and important technical information. Starship reached an orbital milestone that earlier tests had not, while the engine shutdown and early mission end showed that significant testing and development remain.
Flight 14 results will give SpaceX data to assess the vehicle’s performance as it continues its Starship testing programme.