SpaceX Starship Embarks on Orbit Trial: Launch, Satellites, Early Splashdown
SpaceX’s all‑electric Starship completed an orbital flight that lasted about three hours before a rapid splashdown in the Pacific.
Initially slated for a ten‑hour mission, the rocket was brought back sooner after it deployed 26 next‑generation Starlink V3 satellites, adding to the global broadband constellation.
“Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever built,” the company said, highlighting its planned future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, including crewed inter‑planetary flights for up to 100 people.
The rapid end to the test was deliberate, allowing engineers to evaluate landing performance and gathering “real‑world data about the vehicle’s behavior under a variety of conditions.”
View the full launch footage below and visit SpaceX’s Twitter for real‑time updates.
