Ahead of Monday’s launch, SpaceX had secured FAA authorization for Starship Flight 14 and reentry operations. The company’s ambition was no longer merely another test: it planned to attempt orbit for the first time while carrying 26 upgraded Starlink V3 satellites, a payload central to its plans to expand broadband capacity.¹

At 8:49 a.m. EDT, the 407-foot rocket rose from Starbase, Texas, powered by 33 Raptor engines. After separation, Super Heavy turned back and made a controlled Gulf of Mexico splashdown, while Starship’s upper stage continued skyward.²

Then came the mission’s pivotal hesitation. One of Starship’s six engines shut down early during ascent, while two engines on the booster also apparently failed at different points. Flight controllers had minutes to determine whether an orbital insertion would leave the vehicle able to deorbit safely. SpaceX commentator Dan Huot said managers would proceed only if they were “very confident in the core systems that have to work to get you out of orbit once you’re up there.”²

They went ahead. A separate center Raptor restarted for 19 seconds, supplying the final push into a roughly 171-mile orbit. Musk declared: “First orbital flight of Starship successful!”Elon Musk (elonmusk)³

That decision unlocked the commercial part of the test. Starship released all 26 V3 Starlinks—satellites too large for Falcon 9 and designed to add far more capacity than earlier models. Musk later said all 26 were deployed and “operating nominally.”Elon Musk (elonmusk)⁴

The achievement strengthens SpaceX’s case that Starship can become the heavy-lift workhorse for Starlink, future NASA lunar missions and other ambitions. Yet the engine anomalies underline the other reality: the company reached orbit only after deciding the risks of getting back down were under control.¹