SpaceX Starship reaches orbit, deploys 26 Starlinks in shortened Flight 14
SpaceX launched Starship into orbit for the very first time on 28 September 2026, releasing 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites. However, due to engine failure, SpaceX had to cut the mission short. This flight demonstrated that the Starship can lift up SpaceX‘s biggest satellite, but it didn’t prove that the company can maintain a sufficient launch frequency. An engine dropped out on the way up Starship successfully took off from Starbase,Texas at 7:48 a.m. CT. During its ascent, one Super Heavy engine switched off, which was soon followed by an early shutdown of a vacuum Raptor engine on the upper section of the spacecraft. As a result, Starship effectively adapted by utilizing the rest of its engines for a longer period of time before concluding its orbital burn after the flight managers checked the status of the craft. The spacecraft accomplished its mission of reaching low-Earth orbit at an altitude of about 275 kilometers and releasing its batch of 26 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX wanted to accomplish about six orbits during a period of nearly ten hours, but due to the engine problem, the mission was terminated after only about three hours. According to SpaceX: “The Starlink V3 satellite is designed to support 1









