SpaceX’s Starship rocket reached Earth orbit for the first time during its 14th test flight from the Starbase facility in Texas. The flight, planned to last about 10 hours, includes the mission steps preceding the rocket’s reentry into the atmosphere and landing in the Pacific Ocean.

Starship lost one of its engines during ascent. Flight controllers then assessed whether to continue with the planned orbital insertion maneuver and whether to proceed with the day’s attempt to reach orbit.
After the assessment, the control team decided to continue the rocket’s journey toward orbit. SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said that, in addition to the other three engines designed for suborbital flight, the engines needed for orbital insertion and the deorbit burn at the end of the mission appeared to be in good condition.
According to the flight plan, Starship will deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit before reentering the atmosphere and landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The test flight is being viewed as an important step toward making Starship the world’s most powerful rocket for use in commercial flights and NASA’s lunar missions.
SpaceX said the mission was completed: Starship reached orbital speed, deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites and made a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Because a Raptor Vacuum engine shut down during ascent, the planned roughly 10-hour mission was cut to about three hours.

