Starship reaches orbit for the first time after launch from Texas — Dawn

SpaceX's Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time after launching from the Starbase site in Texas, United States. The rocket's upper stage separated from the Super Heavy booster and entered orbit approximately 26 minutes after liftoff.

As Dawn reports, this was Starship's 14th test flight — the largest and most powerful rocket ever designed. The black-and-silver rocket, more than 120 meters tall, launched from Texas.

Reaching orbit

Initially, the vehicle was launched on a suborbital trajectory as a precautionary measure. After discussions, the launch team decided to conduct a second engine burn to place the spacecraft into orbit. After that, one of the team members announced: “Starship is orbital”.

SpaceX planned to place Starship into a circular orbit at an altitude of approximately 275 kilometers above Earth. To do this, the rocket had to reach a speed of about 28,000 kilometers per hour. Under the test plan, the upper stage was to orbit Earth several times, while the entire flight was expected to last about 10 hours.

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Satellites and mission completion

Shortly after reaching orbit, Starship began deploying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites. They are intended to expand the company's satellite internet constellation.

The mission plan envisaged that the spacecraft would complete six orbits around Earth and end its flight in the Pacific Ocean. The Super Heavy first-stage booster fell into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico shortly after launch.

Kathleen Curley, an analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, noted before launch that the second engine burn to reach orbit is the most difficult part of the flight because it requires more complex calculations. SpaceX views this test as a stage in the further development of Starship, including for future tests of refueling the rocket in orbit.