SpaceX’s Starship reaches orbit for first time, deploys 26 Starlink satellites

SpaceX’s Starship megarocket reached orbit for the first time on Monday, marking a major milestone in the company’s development of a reusable launch system for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

The more than 120-metre-tall rocket lifted off from Texas on its 14th full-scale test flight, with the upper stage separating from its Super Heavy booster and reaching orbit about 26 minutes after launch.

The test was originally expected to last about 10 hours, with the spacecraft planned to orbit Earth six times and deploy 26 next-generation Starlink satellites.

The mission was later cut short after the successful deployment of the satellites.

Starship reaches orbit after second burn

SpaceX initially launched the spacecraft on a suborbital trajectory as a precaution before the launch team decided to perform a second burn to place it into orbit.

• “Starship is orbital,” a member of the launch team announced as cheers rang out. Satellite deployment began minutes later.

Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, described the second burn as “the hardest part” of the flight before the launch.

She explained that reaching the necessary altitude and speed required the rocket to respond to different gravitational forces during flight.

SpaceX is targeting a circular orbit about 275 kilometres above Earth, requiring the spacecraft to travel at about 28,000 kilometres per hour.

Previous Starship tests had followed less demanding suborbital trajectories and ended in several high-profile explosions, including over the Caribbean.

Starship deploys 26 Starlink satellites

The latest test flight saw Starship deploy all 26 next-generation Starlink satellites after reaching orbit.

• The satellites are designed to expand SpaceX’s existing satellite internet constellation.
• The mission was originally planned to see Starship orbit Earth six times before completing its journey in the Pacific Ocean.
• However, SpaceX ended the flight early, with the spacecraft making a controlled splashdown in the Pacific after about three hours.

The Super Heavy first-stage booster separated shortly after launch and fell into waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX faces further Starship challenges

The orbital achievement comes as SpaceX seeks to accelerate development of Starship, which the company wants to make fully reusable.

• The rocket is being developed for a range of future applications, including commercial flights, the deployment of data centres in orbit and missions to the Moon and Mars.
• SpaceX also plans to begin testing the refuelling of Starship in orbit as part of the next phase of development.
• However, significant technical challenges remain before Starship can conduct commercial flights, deploy data centres in orbit or reach the Moon and Mars.

Despite the challenges, SpaceX continues to dominate the global space launch market through its partially reusable Falcon rockets.

Starship’s latest flight follows earlier setbacks

The latest Starship flight comes as SpaceX continues to develop the rocket for applications beyond conventional launches, while expanding its Starlink satellite business.

• In July, Nairametrics reported that a Starship launch attempt was aborted after some of the rocket’s engines failed to start.
• SpaceX is also exploring applications for its space infrastructure beyond satellite internet. In February, Nairametrics reported that the company had applied to launch up to one million satellites to provide computing power for artificial intelligence through orbital data centres.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is developing next-generation Starlink satellites capable of providing cellular connectivity directly to smartphones. Nairametrics reported in March that the technology is expected to support services including 5G connectivity and expand satellite-based coverage.