SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time, Deploys 26 Starlink V3 Satellites

SpaceX's Starship rocket reached its intended Earth orbit for the first time on September 28, 2026, deploying 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites in what Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen called a "revenue-generating flight." The launch from Starbase in southern Texas marked the 14th test flight of the vehicle and its first true orbital insertion after 13 prior attempts. Liftoff was nearly scrubbed when one Raptor engine shut down early, but engineers reassessed remaining propellant and attitude margins, then relit an engine to complete orbital insertion. SpaceX said all 26 satellites are functioning well. Each V3 satellite carries roughly 1,000 Gbps of download capacity, about 10 times the current V2's 96 Gbps, and will join an on-orbit Starlink constellation exceeding 11,000 units. The flight plan calls for six orbits over roughly 10 hours, ending in a Pacific splashdown west of Chile to validate high-speed reentry thermal protection. SpaceX projects first commercial service in 2028 and a long-term cadence of hundreds to thousands of launches annually. CEO Elon Musk said a 15th flight would attempt the first tower catch of the upper stage.