SpaceX’s Starship rocket achieved a significant milestone on Monday, reaching orbit for the first time before its mission was cut short due to technical issues and ended with a fiery splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The launch took place at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas at approximately 8:46 a.m. local time, marking the 14th full-scale flight of the 400-foot vehicle, which is the tallest rocket ever flown.

Originally planned as a 10-hour mission involving six orbits around Earth, the flight was shortened to about three hours after one of Starship’s six engines unexpectedly shut down shortly after liftoff. Despite this setback, flight controllers decided to continue the mission, confirming the spacecraft had successfully reached a stable orbit traveling at approximately 17,500 miles per hour.

During its time in orbit, Starship deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites intended to expand SpaceX’s broadband internet constellation. Each satellite was released sequentially from the rocket’s nose, contributing to a projected increase in global internet capacity by approximately 1 percent. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder, confirmed the successful deployment on social media, calling the milestone the first “orbital flight of Starship successful.”

The mission’s premature end came as Starship reentered the atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. While the spacecraft initially performed a controlled flip manoeuvre to facilitate a soft water landing, it soon tipped over and erupted in a large fireball shortly after hitting the water. SpaceX shared footage of the splashdown but did not include the explosion in their official livestream.

The launch represented a pivotal step in SpaceX’s broader strategy to develop a fully reusable launch system capable of supporting both satellite deployments and crewed missions. The company aims to certify Starship for NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to return astronauts to the Moon starting as early as next summer with Artemis III. Future Artemis missions beyond 2028 could involve Starship or competing lunar landers such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Moon.

While SpaceX’s previous Starship test flights reached suborbital altitudes or flew brief distances over the ocean, this mission marked the first time the rocket was placed into Earth orbit. According to SpaceX officials and observers, overcoming the engine failure and achieving orbital velocity was a critical demonstration of the vehicle’s viability.

SpaceX’s long-term vision for Starship includes carrying astronauts to Mars as well as replacing its Falcon 9 rockets for satellite launches. Planned infrastructure expansions include a second launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and a third site in Louisiana.

In response to safety concerns, Elon Musk has emphasized caution in operating Starship, noting the importance of preventing debris from falling on populated areas during launches and landings. Currently, splashdowns in the ocean remain the standard recovery method, with land landings and vehicle reuse still under development.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on reaching orbit, commending the company for managing the mission “in a safe, responsible and especially inspirational way” as it progresses toward future lunar exploration efforts.