On September 28, 2026, SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket into orbit for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the company. The launch took place early in the morning from its facility in Starbase, Texas, with liftoff occurring at 8:48 a.m. ET (7:48 a.m. local time). Attendees at the launch celebrated as the spacecraft reached orbit around 8:15 a.m. local time.
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This flight was the 14th test for Starship, during which SpaceX also deployed 26 new Starlink V3 satellites. Following the launch, the rocket’s booster made a "soft splashdown" off the coast of Starbase, while the Starship continued its ascent, although one of its vacuum engines failed in a sub-orbital trajectory.
Starship is a crucial component of SpaceX's strategy to grow its Starlink connectivity business, which has been its only profitable segment as of Q2. Currently, SpaceX operates approximately 11,000 active satellites, significantly outpacing competitor Eutelsat OneWeb’s roughly 650 satellites.
In a previous earnings call held in August, Elon Musk stated that it was feasible for Starlink to eventually provide a majority of the world’s internet, at least in countries where SpaceX can operate. Musk had predicted that Starship would reach orbit in 2022 and begin satellite deployments in 2023.
One Starship rocket can transport 60 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit, providing around 20 times the capacity of a Falcon 9 launch. Following its recent IPO, SpaceX is now valued at approximately $2 trillion. The Starship and its Super Heavy booster are designed to be fully reusable, offering a more cost-effective means of launching cargo into orbit.
Although none of the previous 13 test flights aimed for orbital insertion, SpaceX hopes that Starship will circle the planet multiple times and eventually land off the coast of Chile. Looking ahead, the company is preparing for a major NASA test flight next year, which will involve using Starship to return U.S. astronauts to the moon. Additionally, SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell announced plans to launch AI compute satellites into orbit by 2027.
The new Starlink V3 satellites, produced in Redmond, Washington, feature solar arrays that generate twice as much power as earlier models and are designed to provide faster data transmission to Starlink subscribers.