SpaceX successfully launched its Starship into orbit on Monday, 28 September 2026, marking the vehicle’s first orbital flight after its 14th full‑scale launch from Texas. The 407‑foot rocket carried 26 of the newest Starlink satellites into a 170‑mile (275‑kilometre) orbit, where it will circle the globe six times before splashing down near Chile.
The launch window opened at 7:15 a.m. Central Time and lasted 75 minutes, with live coverage beginning roughly 35 minutes before liftoff. Although one of Starship’s engines shut down prematurely, flight controllers decided to proceed after a tense pause, and Mission Control later announced, “Starship is orbital.”
“Starship is orbital,” Mission Control announced to cheers.
During the flight, the spacecraft deployed the 26 new Starlink satellites one by one, adding to the 11,000 older models already providing global internet service. The first‑stage booster was not intended to return to the launch pad; it fell into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff. If the mission succeeds, the next Starship will be recovered by large mechanical arms at Starbase, allowing the vehicle to be flown again by year‑end or early next year.
Engineers have modified Starship’s heat shield based on inspections of a recovered vehicle from the Indian Ocean, and the rocket remains fully reusable—a key to lowering launch costs. Musk has emphasized caution, noting that “our popularity would diminish very rapidly” if debris fell over land, and that the company is “being extremely cautious” during this orbital debut.
The successful orbit is a critical step toward NASA’s Artemis III mission, scheduled for next summer, which will involve a docking exercise between an Orion capsule and competing lunar landers. Artemis IV, slated for no sooner than 2028, could see astronauts landing on the Moon aboard either Blue Moon or Starship, depending on readiness. Musk originally designed Starship for Mars, but the company is now focusing on lunar and satellite missions while phasing out the Falcon 9.
<small>Source: Yahoo News — read the original story there.</small>