SpaceX’s Starship will orbit Earth for the first time:World’s most powerful rocket to deploy 26 satellites in 14th test today

Elon Musk’s company SpaceX is ready for the 14th test flight of its most powerful rocket, ‘Starship’. This will be the first time Starship is sent into Earth orbit. It will be launched on Monday, 28 September, from 5:45 p.m. Indian time. All previous flights were restricted to sub-orbital trajectories to ensure safety and gather as much data as possible. The Starship spacecraft (the upper section) and the Super Heavy booster (the lower section) are collectively known as ‘Starship’. The vehicle is 403 feet tall. Difference between orbital and sub-orbital trajectories 10-hour journey, will complete 6 orbits of the Earth In this mission, Starship will fly to an altitude of around 275 kilometres above the ground. During the journey, which will last around 10 hours, it will complete six orbits of the Earth. After the mission ends, the rocket will make a safe landing, or splashdown, in the Pacific Ocean near Chile. 26 new Starlink satellites to be deployed in space for the first time For the first time, 26 new-technology ‘Starlink V3’ satellites are being sent into space on this flight. They will significantly improve internet speeds and network coverage worldwide. Just one satellite of this new model will add a data capacity of 1 terabit per second (Tbps) to the network. This means the mission alone will add a total capacity of 26 Tbps-about 10 times more than the smaller satellites sent into space by Falcon 9 rockets. As soon as they separate from the rocket, the satellites will deploy their antennas and solar panels and establish contact with the ground and other satellites using radio waves and lasers. They will then use their small engines to reach their designated orbit and begin providing internet services after completing all the initial checks. 3 satellites fitted with cameras to monitor Starship The three satellites involved in this mission have been specially modified. High-tech cameras have been installed on them. These cameras will scan Starship’s ‘heat shield’-the outer layer that protects it from heat-in space and send the images directly to scientists on the ground. This will help scientists understand how well Starship’s heat shield holds up while returning to Earth. The images and test results will be useful in safely landing the rocket back at the launch pad in the future. Now, learn about Starship’s first 13 tests…. 13th test: Starship seen floating safely in water for the first time Starship’s 13th test flight took place on 25 July 2026, according to Indian time. The upper stage landed in the Indian Ocean, while its booster landed in the Gulf of Mexico. This was the first time Starship had been landed safely in water. During landing, Starship straightened from its ‘belly-flop’ position and landed vertically on the water. It then gradually tilted to one side and began floating in the sea.
12th Test: Landing in the Indian Ocean Despite Engine Failure Starship’s 12th test was a mix of successes and failures. It marked the first use of Starship’s new and larger version, V3. After taking off from the Starbase launch pad at the southern tip of Texas, it developed an engine problem. The rocket was at risk of being destroyed for this reason. Despite this, the Starship spacecraft managed to land safely in the Indian Ocean nearly an hour later. The test was launched on the morning of 23 May, Indian time.
11th test: Eight dummy satellites deployed into space for the first time Starship’s 11th test was conducted from Boca Chica, Texas, at 5:00 a.m. on 14 October 2025. The test lasted 1 hour and 6 minutes, during which the Super Heavy booster made a water landing in the Gulf of America. Starship made a water landing in the Indian Ocean. The purpose of the flight was to conduct tests related to bringing the rocket back to the launch site in the future. 10th test: Eight dummy satellites released into space for the first time Starship’s 10th test was conducted on 27 August 2025 and was successful. The rocket was launched from Boca Chica, Texas, at 5:00 a.m. The test lasted 1 hour 6 minutes. During the mission, all objectives were completed, from releasing the Starlink simulator satellite into space to firing the engine. Starlink simulator satellites are dummy versions of actual Starlink satellites. They are used to test Starship’s satellite deployment capability. Starship exploded on 29 June Earlier, this test was scheduled for 29 June 2025, but Starship exploded during the static fire test. In this test, the rocket is placed on the ground and its engines are fired to check whether everything is working properly before launch. During the test, an explosion suddenly began in the upper section of the rocket. Within moments, the entire rocket was engulfed in flames. 9th test: Booster landed, but the ship lost control Starship lost control about 30 minutes after launch during its ninth test on 28 May 2025 and was destroyed when it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. This was the third consecutive time that Starship was destroyed in the sky. However, the booster made a hard landing in the Gulf of America. Eighth test: Booster landed, but the ship exploded Starship’s eighth test took place on 7 March 2025, Indian time. Seven minutes after launch, the booster (the lower section) separated and returned to the launch pad. But eight minutes later, four of the ship’s six engines in its upper section stopped working, causing the ship to lose control. After this, the automated abort system blew up the ship. Flights at the airports in Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale were affected by the falling debris. Seventh test: Booster returned, but spacecraft exploded in the sky Starship’s seventh test was not fully successful on 17 January 2025 either. Eight minutes after launch, the booster (the lower section) separated and returned to the launch pad, but the ship (the upper section) exploded because of an oxygen leak. Sixth test: Landed on water after difficulties were spotted while landing on the launch pad, with Trump also present Starship’s sixth test was conducted at 03:30 on 20 November 2024. US President-elect Donald Trump had also reached Starbase to watch the test. In this test, the booster was supposed to be caught back at the launchpad after launch, but as all the parameters were not satisfactory, it was decided that it would land in the water. The Starship’s engine was restarted in space. It then landed in the Indian Ocean. Fifth test: Booster caught at the launchpad for the first time Starship’s fifth test was conducted on 13 October 2024. In this test, the Super Heavy booster, sent 96 km above Earth, was brought back to the launchpad and caught by Mechazilla. Mechazilla consists of two metal arms that look like chopsticks. Starship was re-entered into Earth’s atmosphere and made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean. When Starship entered Earth’s atmosphere, it was travelling at 26,000 kilometres per hour and its temperature reached 1,430°C. Fourth test: Starship was taken into space, then landed in water Starship’s fourth test took place on 6 June 2024 and was successful. The 1.05-hour mission was launched from Boca Chica at 6.20 p.m. Starship was taken into space, brought back to Earth and landed on water. The main goal of the test was to see whether Starship could survive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. After the test, company owner Elon Musk said, “Despite the loss of several tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made a soft landing in the sea.” Third test: Contact with Starship was lost after re-entry The test took place on 14 March 2024. SpaceX said Starship did not survive re-entry, but achieved several important milestones during the flight. Elon Musk, meanwhile, said he expected half a dozen Starships to fly this year. Second test: A malfunction occurred after stage separation Starship’s second test was conducted at around 6:30 p.m. on 18 November 2023. The Super Heavy booster and Starship separated about 2.4 minutes after launch. The booster was supposed to land back on Earth, but it exploded 3.2 minutes later at an altitude of 90 km. Starship, meanwhile, continued according to plan. About eight minutes later, at an altitude of 148 km above Earth, Starship also developed a fault, forcing it to be destroyed. It was destroyed using the flight termination system. In the second test, the hot-staging process was used for the first time to separate the rocket and Starship, and it was completely successful. All 33 Raptor engines also fired properly from launch until separation. First test: Explosion occurred four minutes after launch Starship’s first orbital test was conducted on 20 April 2023. Booster 7 and Ship 24 were launched during the test. Just four minutes after liftoff, Starship exploded 30 kilometres above the Gulf of Mexico. Even after Starship failed, Elon Musk and the employees were celebrating. This was because the rocket’s liftoff from the launch pad itself was a major success. Two days before the launch, Musk had said, “There may be success, but excitement is guaranteed.” SpaceX had said, “A part of it suddenly separated before the separation stage, even though this was not intended. The learning we gain from a test like this leads to success. Today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability. The teams will continue reviewing the data and work towards the next flight test.”