SpaceX launched its 15th Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas on Friday evening, successfully sending the upper stage into a nominal low-Earth orbit for the second time. All 26 Starlink V3 satellites aboard deployed safely, each with solar arrays spanning 60 meters when fully extended. The first-stage booster, however, was diverted into the Gulf of Mexico instead of being caught at the launch tower, resulting in a large explosion.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-11-14
Elon Musk said during SpaceX's third-quarter earnings call that the company plans to try recovering both stages of its Starship system—the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft—during its next flight. The attempt would use launch-tower arms to catch the vehicle mid-air, aiming for what Musk called the first full recovery of an orbital launch system in history.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-20
SpaceX's Starship completed its 14th test flight on Monday, achieving orbital insertion for the first time and deploying 26 of its new Starlink V3 satellites from Starbase in South Texas. The Super Heavy booster, using 33 Raptor engines, separated and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage suffered an early engine shutdown before restarting a Raptor engine to reach an orbit roughly 171 miles up. SpaceX confirmed contact with all 26 deployed satellites, each weighing about 2 metric tons.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-29
SpaceX's 14th Starship test flight launched from Starbase, Texas, and for the first time accelerated the upper stage to full orbital velocity rather than the suborbital trajectories used in prior tests. During the flight, the rocket deployed 26 next-generation Starlink satellites, which are too large to fit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, releasing them one by one from its cargo bay. The Super Heavy booster separated and made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico near the launch site.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-28
SpaceX's Starship, launched atop its Super Heavy booster, reached low-Earth orbit for the first time on its 14th flight, despite losing one of six Raptor engines mid-mission. The company shortened the planned orbital stay from about 10 hours to roughly three before Starship reentered and landed in the Pacific Ocean. During the flight, SpaceX deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit and confirmed contact with all of them, while the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico for eventual recovery.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
SpaceX's Starship rocket achieved Earth orbit for the first time in a launch from South Texas, despite losing one of six Raptor engines on its upper stage shortly after separation. The company briefly called off the mission before resuming, and the Ship stage went on to deploy all 26 planned third-generation Starlink satellites. SpaceX is still deciding whether to complete a full set of orbits or bring the upper stage down early, while the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launch site.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-28
SpaceX is preparing to launch its fourteenth full-scale Starship test flight on Monday, pending regulatory approval. The plan calls for Starship to orbit Earth six times over ten hours at an altitude of 171 miles before attempting a soft landing, following hardware changes to the Super Heavy booster after only 10 of 13 engines relit during the last landing attempt in July.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-25
SpaceX intends to build a new 125,000-acre spaceport called Starbase Louisiana at Pecan Island, featuring five launch complexes, propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping and an airport. Construction is slated to begin in 2027 with a first launch targeted for 2029, and the site could eventually support thousands of missions annually.
techspot.com
· 2026-08-26
GoKawiil