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Starship has made it to orbit for the first time ever. But the loss of an engine during its nail-biting ascent meant SpaceX's mission ended earlier than planned — with an explosion to boot.
The tallest and most powerful rocket ever built blasted off from SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on Monday (Sept. 28) at 8.49 a.m. ET (7.49 a.m. local time).
Soon after launch, one of Starship's 33 engines failed. A tense few minutes followed while the mission team deliberated over whether the mission should continue to orbit. Eventually, the call came through: "Go for orbit." Liftoff of Starship! https://t.co/40D8bXSkr2September 28, 2026 Liftoff of Starship! https://t.co/40D8bXSkr2September 28, 2026
A short fire of Starship's boosters nudged the rocket into orbit, where it zoomed around Earth at a highest point of 170 miles (275 kilometers) above the planet's surface.
However, after successfully deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites, SpaceX decided not to leave Starship up in space for the remainder of the mission, which was originally expected to last 10 hours.
The rocket splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after 3 hours and 8 minutes, and then promptly exploded with a fiery bang. An explosive landing was always expected for Starship, and there were audible cheers during that part of the SpaceX livestream of the mission, but SpaceX would have probably preferred to have kept its rocket intact — like it did on Flight 13.
SpaceX called this mission, Starship's Flight 14, the company's "most ambitious launch to date" during its livestream. Prior to this launch, Starship had only flown suborbitally, and this was SpaceX's first attempt to send its flagship rocket into orbit. The company said reaching orbit represents the "next phase" for Starship toward becoming a fully reusable rocket. Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
The day started with promise for SpaceX: Engineers weren't tracking any holds in the lead-up to launch; tanking and launch progressed smoothly; and Starship served up some spectacular images of Earth as it raced into space.
Shortly after launch, Starship's booster separated and safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. Then the problems started. Starship had lost one of its engines. Initially, commentary on SpaceX's livestream suggested that officials planned to abandon the push for orbit, but after several tense minutes, they confirmed the attempt was a go.
The latest mission had a few objectives. In addition to making it to orbit, SpaceX deployed Starlink V3 satellites, designed to boost the speeds and reliability of the internet services provided by its satellite megaconstellation.
Starship has made it to orbit for the first time ever.