SpaceX’s Starship reaches orbit for the first time, deploys Starlink satellites
Starship rocket overcame the engine problem during the flight and successfully deployed the first batch of new Starlink satellites.
SpaceX's Starship rocket successfully reached orbit for the first time during its 14th flight test on Monday, despite one of its engines shutting down prematurely. The 40-story-tall vehicle, consisting of a Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage, launched from SpaceX's Starbase complex on the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville.
The uncrewed rocket deployed the first batch of new Starlink satellites into a planned altitude of approximately 269km. Starship, designed to launch Starlink satellites more frequently and carry future NASA missions to the moon, completed six Earth orbits during its 10-hour voyage before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.
This successful test flight, the 14th overall, marks a significant milestone for SpaceX, as reaching orbit has been a long-delayed goal for the Starship program. The test mission, carrying a group of new Starlink internet satellites, is estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in projected revenue for the company's Starlink unit.
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