SpaceX successfully launched its massive Starship rocket into orbit for the first time and and deployed 26 V3 Starlink satellites during Monday’s Starship Flight 14 mission. However, the company was forced to cut the mission short after it lost power to an engine during takeoff.
Starship Flight 14 was originally expected to last 10 hours, with the rocket orbiting the Earth six times. Starship lost one of its engines shortly after launch, but SpaceX mission control decided to continue with the mission.
Starship cleared the tower at SpaceX’s Texas Starbase at 8:49 a.m. EDT. The rocket reached orbit approximately 26 minutes after liftoff. After a 3 hour and 9 minute-flight, the rocket splashed down in the Northern Pacific, cutting the mission short by about 6 hours, 50 minutes earlier than the original mission duration.
Starship accomplished most of its mission objectives, including the release all 26 of its Starlink V3 payloads. SpaceX hopes to send 100,000 upgraded Starlink V3 satellites to orbit in order to support its Starlink global internet service.
