The spacecraft overcame an early engine shutdown and deployed 26 advanced Starlink satellites during its 14th full-scale test.
SpaceX placed its Starship spacecraft into orbit for the first time Monday, reaching a milestone after a series of earlier test flights that remained on suborbital paths.
One Starship engine shut down earlier than planned, briefly raising concern in Mission Control. Flight controllers determined that the engine was no longer needed and allowed the mission to continue.
“Starship is orbital,” Mission Control announced after the spacecraft reached the intended phase of flight.
The spacecraft then deployed 26 advanced Starlink satellites. The flight is Starship’s 14th full-scale test from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.
SpaceX originally planned for Starship to complete six orbits over nearly 10 hours, but mission controllers shortened the flight after the earlier engine shutdown. The spacecraft remained in orbit for roughly three hours before beginning an early return.
Starship completed its first de-orbit burn and then made a controlled splashdown in the northern Pacific Ocean. The mission still achieved its central milestones: reaching orbit for the first time and deploying 26 advanced Starlink satellites.
Starship is central to SpaceX’s satellite and spaceflight plans. NASA also intends to use a version of the spacecraft as a lunar lander in its Artemis program.
