SpaceX's Starship deploys Starlinks in orbital debut despite early end

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft reached orbit for the first time on Monday and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites before ending its test mission earlier than planned.

The rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in the US state of Texas at about 7:48 a.m. Central Time (1248 GMT).

Shortly after launch, the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Starship upper stage deployed the 26 Starlink V3 satellites, marking the first time the next-generation satellites were deployed into orbit by Starship.

The upper stage was originally planned to remain in flight for about 10 hours, but the mission was shortened to about three hours after one of the engines shut down unexpectedly during ascent.

This was the 14th integrated test flight of the Starship system.

A test mission with a real payload

Starship was built to launch SpaceX's Starlink satellites more frequently and carry future NASA missions to the moon. Reaching orbit, a primary benchmark for any new rocket designed to deliver payloads to space, was a long-delayed feat for Starship, which Musk once predicted would be achieved in 2022, to be followed by satellite deployments in 2023.

Since its first integrated test flight in 2023, Starship's previous 13 test missions had remained in suborbital flight. Musk has said he hopes Starship will eventually conduct hundreds or even thousands of missions per year, a launch pace unprecedented in the space industry.

"Starship is 2 to 3 years away from hourly flights," Musk wrote on X on Sunday.

According to SpaceX, the V3 Starlink satellites can handle about 10 times more data than the previous V2 mini satellites, which have typically been launched in batches of around 20 or 30 aboard Falcon 9 rockets. Musk wants Starship to eventually launch V3 satellites in batches of 60 once the vehicle enters regular service.

Technical challenges remain

Despite the milestone, technical challenges remain before Starship can fulfill Musk's dreams of reaching the moon and even Mars, including proving the ship can be refueled in orbit.

NASA is also betting on using a modified version of Starship for missions to return US astronauts to the lunar surface.

Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said the mission made significant progress but not "super successful."

"It's an achievement for achieving flight and getting into orbit, but from SpaceX's own metrics and goals, they did not accomplish a 10-hour flight and did have the engine trouble," she said.

The original plan had called for Starship to complete six orbits around Earth before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, but the spacecraft completed only two orbits before the flight ended.

The first-stage booster landed in the waters off Texas, with SpaceX choosing not to attempt a return to the launch site. The company has previously demonstrated the ability to catch the booster using the launchpad's mechanical "chopstick" arms.

(With input from agencies)