Elon Musk's Starship reaches orbit for the first time, begins circling Earth

The mission will test critical systems, including orbital engine relighting, satellite deployment, heat-shield performance and controlled re-entry.Starship is central to SpaceX's ambitions to make space transportation fully reusable. (Photo: SpaceX)New Delhi,Sep 28, 2026 19:06 ISTSpaceX's Starship-Super Heavy rocket lifted off on its 14th flight test on Monday, marking a crucial milestone in the company's efforts to develop a fully reusable rocket capable of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon and Mars.The launch, from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, is designed to take Starship into Earth orbit for the first time, with the spacecraft expected to complete six circuits around the planet before returning to Earth.The mission is a major test for the world's most powerful rocket, which is central to SpaceX's ambitions for deep-space exploration and Nasa's plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface.The mission is expected to last nearly 10 hours and include six circuits around Earth. A TRICKY LAUNCHThe 124-metre-tall rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas during a 75-minute launch window, with a picture-perfect stage separation happening minutes later. While the Starship continued its flight upwards, the Super Heavy rocket made a hard splashdown in the ocean, exploding upon touchdown. It is noted that it was planned by SpaceX.However, the SpaceX mission control faced a nerve-wracking decision after one of the vacuum engines malfunctioned on Starship after launch. However, the team decided to attempt orbital insertion in a major milestone for the private company.The mission represents a major shift for Starship, whose previous 13 flights followed suborbital trajectories, reaching space without completing a full orbit.The orbital insertion burn, approximately 25 minutes after liftoff, placed the spacecraft in an orbit about 275 kilometres above Earth. The International Space Station flies at 400 km above the planet.The spacecraft will now attempt to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, designed to expand SpaceX's satellite internet network and increase its data transmission capacity. Three satellites will also carry imaging equipment to record the spacecraft's heat shield during flight.The mission will test critical systems, including orbital engine relighting, satellite deployment, heat-shield performance and controlled re-entry.After completing its planned six orbits, Starship is expected to conduct a deorbit burn and splash down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. The Super Heavy booster will attempt a controlled descent into the Gulf of Mexico.Starship is central to SpaceX's ambitions to make space transportation fully reusable and support future human missions to the Moon and Mars.Nasa has selected a version of Starship as the lunar landing system for its Artemis programme. However, orbital operations, in-space refuelling and reliable recovery remain critical milestones before the spacecraft can support crewed lunar missions.A successful orbital flight would mark a significant step towards those goals, while providing SpaceX with vital engineering data for future missions- Ends