On September 28, 2026, Starship Flight 14 reportedly reaches Earth orbit for the first time. One engine reportedly shuts down early, but flight controllers continue after deciding it is no longer needed. Separately, SpaceX says all 26 Starlink V3 satellites are deployed in orbit and have been contacted by the Starlink team.
Starship reaches orbit on Flight 14
Earlier Starship test flights used suborbital trajectories. An orbital flight enters a path around Earth; a suborbital trajectory does not complete an orbit. Flight 14’s reported orbital insertion marks a different profile for the vehicle.
SpaceX reports deployment of all 26 Starlink V3 satellites
SpaceX says payload deployment is complete: all 26 Starlink V3 satellites are in orbit, and the Starlink team has contacted them. That deployment is a separate milestone from Starship’s reported arrival in orbit.
What the preflight plan called for
Before launch, SpaceX’s plan called for an orbit about 275 km above Earth, roughly six orbits and a flight lasting nearly 10 hours. The plan also called for Starship to splash down in the Pacific west of Chile; Super Heavy was not scheduled for a tower catch and was due to fall into the Gulf of Mexico.
