SpaceX Deploys 26 Starlink V3 Satellites From Starship Flight 14

SpaceX has deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites from Starship Flight 14, marking the first time its next-generation satellites have entered operational orbit and joined the Starlink constellation.

“Payload deploy complete. All 26 @Starlink V3 satellites are in orbit,” SpaceX said after deployment. The company later confirmed that the Starlink team had established contact with all 26 spacecraft.

Elon Musk also confirmed the deployment, writing, “All 26 Starlink V3 operational satellites deployed and operating nominally.”

The payload represents a large increase in the amount of Starlink capacity SpaceX can place in orbit with a single mission. Starlink said the 26 satellites will add up to 26 terabits of capacity to the constellation, with V3 satellites deployed by Starship providing “an order of magnitude improvement in capacity.”

According to Starlink’s official V3 specifications, each satellite is designed to provide 1 Tbps of downlink capacity, roughly 10 times V2, along with 160 Gbps of uplink capacity, about 22 times V2.

The upgraded phased arrays support 2,048 beams in each direction. V2 satellites support 192 downlink beams and 144 uplink beams.

Each V3 satellite also carries six 400-gigabit space lasers that form part of a petabit-scale laser mesh. Quad-band Ka, E, V and W backhaul antennas provide 1.2 Tbps of backhaul capacity, more than eight times V2, while new solar arrays produce about twice as much power.

Starlink says those changes allow a Starship launch carrying V3 satellites to add about 20 times as much network capacity as a Falcon 9 launch carrying V2 satellites. The company also says V3 technology will support its upcoming Starlink Mobile Gen 2 direct-to-cell service and the Starmind AI satellite constellation.

Flight 14 follows the V3 satellite’s first spaceflight aboard Starship Flight 13. That mission carried 20 V3 satellites on a suborbital test flight, but the satellites were not placed into operational orbit.

The latest Starship test flight therefore marks the transition from testing V3 hardware aboard Starship to deploying satellites that can contribute capacity to the commercial network. SpaceX previously said Flight 14 would generate revenue from its Starlink V3 payload.

Following deployment, SpaceX began preparations to return Starship over a pre-cleared area of the Pacific Ocean. The company later confirmed the vehicle had completed its deorbit burn and was on course for its planned splashdown.

Flight 14 also gave SpaceX another demonstration of Starlink’s capabilities in space. Starlink streamed live video from Starship while the vehicle was in orbit, providing connectivity during the mission that carried its newest satellites into the constellation.