SpaceX Launches Starship for First Orbital Test
By Connor Hart
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on Monday, entering an orbit of Earth for the first time.
The flight marks the 14th test of Starship, the massive rocket that SpaceX is trying to move from a research-and-development phase to one where it is using the vehicle to launch revenue-generating payloads, especially upgraded Starlink satellites.
SpaceX completed the 13th test flight of Starship in July. For the first 13 flights, Starship went up from Texas and, when it did not blow up en route, splashed down shortly thereafter.
Now in its initial orbital mission, Starship is expected to fly at an altitude approximately 275 kilometers above Earth and complete approximately six orbits around the planet over the course of a nearly 10-hour flight, with splashdown targeted in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Chile, SpaceX said.
By going to orbit, the next phase of developing Starship to be fully and rapidly reusable can begin, the company added.
Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 28, 2026 09:45 ET (13:45 GMT)
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