SpaceX’s Starship achieved its first Earth-orbit flight on Sep. 28, deploying 26
new-generation Starlink V3 satellites, but the test ended earlier than planned.
Launch occurred at about 07:50 Central US time (20:50 Beijing). The Super Heavy
booster made a controlled splashdown in waters near the Gulf of Mexico; the
Starship second stage reached orbit, released the 26 Starlink V3 satellites,
then the mission terminated after roughly three hours with a splashdown in the
Pacific. The flight had been scheduled to last about 10 hours. SpaceX has not
disclosed a cause for the early termination. Prior to this, Starship’s 13 test
flights had been suborbital; this was the first orbital flight and is seen as a
step toward full, rapid reusability.
