SpaceX Starship reaches orbit for first time after Texas launch

SpaceX’s Starship rocket has reached orbit for the first time following its launch from Texas, marking a major milestone in the company’s development of the spacecraft.

The uncrewed Starship began the next phase of its mission by deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites, with the deployment process expected to take about 30 minutes, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The launch produced a huge plume of smoke, while the rocket’s two stages separated as planned shortly after liftoff.

The mission marks Starship’s 14th flight. Previous test flights were suborbital, meaning the spacecraft reached space but did not travel fast enough or for long enough to remain in orbit.

The booster, which forms the lower section of the rocket, is expected to return to Earth about seven minutes after launch, landing in the Gulf of Mexico.

During the planned 10-hour flight, Starship is expected to complete about six orbits of Earth and deploy the Starlink V3 satellites before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

Starship is being developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX as a fully reusable launch system. Musk has said the technology could transform space travel, with the spacecraft eventually carrying crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.

SpaceX describes Starship as “the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed”, while Musk has previously described full reusability as the “holy grail” of space technology.

The spacecraft is currently uncrewed, but SpaceX ultimately plans to use Starship for human missions to the Moon and Mars.

The programme has faced setbacks, including several incidents during testing in 2025. In June that year, a Starship rocket exploded into a fireball while on its stand. More recent tests, however, have been more successful.

By Sabina Mammadli