Starship Achieves Orbit for the First Time

What happened

The flight did not go exactly as planned, but SpaceX’s Starship Integrated Flight Test-14 did make it into orbit for the first time today and deployed 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites. One of the six second stage engines cut off early and although SpaceX proceeded with the orbital insertion burn, they decided to bring Starship back to Earth without completing all six orbits that were planned. SpaceX is a space company based in Hawthorne.

Liftoff of SpaceX’s Starship Integrated Flight Test-14 (IFT-14), September 28, 2026. Liftoff from Starbase, TX was at 7:48:59 am Central Time (8:48:59 am Eastern).

Starship is a two-stage vehicle and although it’s the second stage that’s named Starship, the word is often used to refer to the entire vehicle. The first stage is Super Heavy or “Booster.”