SpaceX launched Starship on its first orbital test mission from Texas, reaching orbital speeds of 17,500 mph and deploying 26 Starlink satellites. The 171-foot spacecraft separated from its Super Heavy booster and splashed down in the Pacific after a shortened three-hour flight, marking a critical milestone for the reusable vehicle that NASA plans to use for lunar missions.
SpaceX's Starship megarocket will attempt its first orbital flight on September 28 from South Texas, launching 26 Starlink Version 3 satellites into low Earth orbit. The 407-foot-tall vehicle, the most powerful rocket ever built, will complete six orbits before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after nearly 10 hours, marking a major milestone after 13 previous suborbital test flights.