SpaceX completed Starship’s first orbital mission on Flight 14, reaching Earth orbit for the first time while deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites that could expand the spacecraft’s role in future high-capacity missions.
Starship lifted off from Starbase, Texas on September 28 at 7:48 a.m. CT for its 14th flight and first attempt to reach orbit. The mission marked the first time Starship completed an orbital flight and the first time it delivered a payload to orbit.
SpaceX said on X that “Starship achieved orbit on its first attempt and successfully delivered Starlink V3 satellites to space for the first time.”
The spacecraft reached an altitude of about 275 km and completed roughly six orbits during a flight lasting nearly 10 hours. Starship later completed its first deorbit burn, atmospheric reentry and landing sequence before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. At about nine hours and 50 minutes, it was the longest Starship flight yet.
The main payload milestone came after Starship deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit. SpaceX confirmed contact with every satellite through laser links, ground stations and Starlink user terminals. The satellites will complete on-orbit testing and raise their orbits before beginning customer service within weeks.
Each Starlink V3 satellite is designed to provide 1 Tbps of capacity, giving the 26-satellite payload a combined 26 Tbps. SpaceX said the launch provided about 10 times the capacity of a Falcon 9 mission carrying Starlink V2 Mini satellites.
The mission also included several tests focused on future Starship operations. The Super Heavy booster performed a landing-burn test at an offshore point in the Gulf of America, where it tested the limits of booster performance ahead of future return-to-launch-site missions.
SpaceX used Flight 14 to address issues identified during Flight 13, when ice buildup caused a boostback burn to end early. The company said hardware and software changes added filtering improvements and relight capabilities to prevent a repeat of that issue.
Flight 14 also tested Starship’s heatshield systems, including the first reflown tiles. Two tiles recovered from Ship 40 were installed on Ship 41 for the mission. Three Starlink V3 satellites carried cameras to scan the heatshield during flight and collect additional data.
The mission did experience several confirmed engine issues. One Super Heavy Raptor engine shut down during the initial climb, while one Starship vacuum engine shut down early during ascent. The remaining five engines burned longer than planned to compensate. Out of caution, SpaceX shortened the time Starship spent in orbit before beginning the return sequence.
SpaceX will use the data from Flight 14 as it prepares for Starship Flight 15, which will continue testing the spacecraft’s reusability, heatshield performance, payload operations and other systems needed for future missions.
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