SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time on 14th Test Flight

SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket on its 14th test flight from Starbase, Texas, on September 28, 2026, and the vehicle reached orbit for the first time despite an engine failure during ascent, according to The Guardian, standardmedia.co.ke and Reuters.³⁴⁵

Ascent and engine trouble

The rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas on its 14th test of the Starship system, The Guardian and standardmedia.co.ke reported. CBS News reported that one Raptor engine failed shortly after liftoff while the vehicle was still climbing toward a suborbital path, after which a second firing using the sole functioning Raptor engine pushed the craft the rest of the way toward orbit.¹³⁴

Orbit, deployment and splashdowns

The Hindu reported that roughly 26 minutes after launch, the upper stage detached from the Super Heavy booster and entered orbit, though neither standardmedia.co.ke nor the Reuters account carried by ARY News verified that timeframe. Starlink satellite deployment then began, standardmedia.co.ke and Reuters reported; CBS News said 26 next-generation Starlink satellites were released, a figure the other two outlets did not confirm.²⁴⁵¹

The Super Heavy first-stage booster executed a vertical splashdown off the Texas Gulf Coast two minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff, following a boost-back burn, before falling into the Gulf of Mexico, CBS News, standardmedia.co.ke and Reuters reported. Starship went on to orbit Earth six times during a test lasting about 10 hours, according to standardmedia.co.ke and Reuters, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii, CBS News said. The spacecraft then tipped over and exploded as residual propellants ignited, according to CBS News.¹⁴⁵

Scale and competition

The Hindu, standardmedia.co.ke and Reuters each characterized Starship as the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. The Hindu reported it stands more than 120 metres tall, while CBS News gave a height of 400 feet. CBS News reported that the Super Heavy booster is powered by 33 Raptor engines burning methane and produces 16 million pounds of thrust—double what NASA's Space Launch System can generate. SpaceX currently dominates the global space launch market through its partially reusable Falcon rocket, The Hindu, standardmedia.co.ke and Reuters reported, even as a Chinese company has recently made progress developing reusable rockets, the same three outlets said.²⁴⁵¹

Next steps for Moon and Mars

NASA plans to use a lander variant of Starship for an Artemis moon landing in 2028, carrying two crew members to the lunar surface near the south pole, CBS News reported. Such missions will require up to 15 Super Heavy-Starship tanker flights to refuel the lunar lander, according to CBS News, which also said multiple observers doubt SpaceX can deliver the human landing system on that schedule. SpaceX plans an initial launch from Florida, with facilities planned at Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A and additional pads under construction at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CBS News reported.¹

According to Reuters, the orbital achievement had been anticipated by Elon Musk as far back as 2022, and the news agency put the total spending on the Starship programme at over $15 billion since 2023.⁶

Reactions

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on social media, writing, "Congrats @SpaceX! Gorgeous launch, getting Ship to orbit and managing every step in a safe, responsible, and especially inspirational way." He added that NASA is "excited to help where we can and for Starship missions to become routine!"¹

Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, told AFP that reaching orbit demands the toughest maneuver of the flight because the final engine burn involves greater forces and more intricate calculations, noting that the vehicle must perform differently as it moves through varying gravitational conditions. She said that for this particular test, simply completing the flight and gathering data would count as a success, while pointing out that SpaceX faces pressure to deliver eye-catching results since anything less risks being perceived as a failure.²