SpaceX (SPCX.US) Starship Successfully Reaches Orbit for the First Time! Carries 26 V3 Starlink Satellites to Begin “Profit-Making” Mission

According to Zhitong Finance APP, SpaceX (SPCX.US) successfully launched its next-generation heavy-lift rocket "Starship" into Earth's orbit for the first time on Monday morning, marking a key milestone for this costly rocket project. Although one engine shut down prematurely during liftoff, which almost canceled the orbital attempt, SpaceX ultimately decided to continue the mission and successfully sent Starship into orbit.

This mission also carried 26 upgraded V3 Starlink satellites, which have been successfully deployed in orbit. Since these satellites meet operational standards and will join the existing Starlink network, SpaceX Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen called this mission a “revenue-generating flight.”

14th Test Flight Achieves First Orbit—Engine Failure Almost Disrupted Plans

Starship lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase in southern Texas at 7:49 a.m. local time on Monday, beginning a test flight that could last up to nearly 10 hours. During the ascent, one of the six Raptor engines equipped on Starship shut down prematurely, prompting SpaceX engineers to consider aborting the orbital attempt. However, after further analysis of flight data, the team ultimately decided to continue the mission and, by reigniting one of Starship's Raptor engines, successfully sent the vehicle into orbit for the first time.

SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot stated that, based on current information, each satellite deployed in this mission is performing well, and the entire deployment process was “very smooth.”

This was Starship's 14th test flight and a major turning point for the project. Previously, all of Starship's space test flights intentionally avoided actually entering orbit to minimize safety risks. Now, U.S. regulators have approved further testing, allowing SpaceX to accelerate Starship to orbital speeds and attempt to bring the spacecraft back to Earth under controlled conditions.

The successful entry into orbit is also expected to pave the way for more frequent orbital flights for Starship in the future.

26 V3 Starlink Satellites Successfully Deployed—First Mission to Truly “Make Money” for SpaceX

A key difference between this flight and previous test missions is that Starship launched operational V3 Starlink satellites into orbit for the first time. SpaceX now has more than 11,000 satellites in orbit. A previous Starship test flight also deployed V3 Starlink satellites, but those were planned to ultimately burn up in Earth's atmosphere and did not become part of the commercial network.

This time, the 26 V3 satellites carried aboard are formal production versions, and they will be integrated into SpaceX's existing Starlink network. Therefore, Johnsen called this mission a “revenue-generating flight.”

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk previously stated that the V3 satellites would significantly increase the overall capacity of the Starlink network and are expected to drive rapid revenue growth in Starlink communications. During SpaceX’s first earnings call in August this year, Musk said: “We expect V3 satellites to drive Starlink communications revenue to grow very rapidly.” He also stated that the capability of V3 satellites exceeds that of V2 satellites by over tenfold, and that future SpaceX launches will be conducted at roughly ten times the scale.

This means that whether Starship can achieve stable, high-frequency launches will directly affect SpaceX's ability to further expand its Starlink business.

Starship Carries Greater Ambitions—May Launch Millions of AI Data Center Satellites in the Future

In addition to expanding the Starlink network, Starship is also the core infrastructure of SpaceX's broader space plan. According to SpaceX’s plan, V3 Starlink satellites can only be launched using Starship. Meanwhile, Starship is also tasked with deploying up to one million satellites into Earth orbit in the future, which are planned to build a space-based AI data center.

This grand AI space infrastructure project was one of the key factors attracting market attention during SpaceX’s high-profile IPO this summer. In the longer term, SpaceX ultimately hopes to use Starship to achieve Musk's goal of sending humans to the Moon, Mars, and other planets.

However, to realize this vision, Starship still has many critical technologies that need validation, including in-orbit propellant refueling. For deep space missions, SpaceX needs to prove it can refuel Starship in space in order to support travel to more distant destinations.

Full Reusability Is the Next Barrier—15th Test Flight May Attempt To “Catch” Starship for the First Time

Another core goal for SpaceX is to make Starship a fully reusable launch system—a capability no other rocket has achieved to date.

The complete Starship system consists of both the "Super Heavy" booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft. SpaceX ultimately hopes that after each flight, it can use the launch tower to directly “catch” both sections of the vehicle, thereby reducing recovery and refurbishment costs and significantly increasing launch frequency.

Currently, SpaceX has successfully used the Starship launch tower three times to catch Super Heavy boosters. In this mission, the Super Heavy booster splashed down in a controlled manner in waters off the coast of Texas about 7 minutes after liftoff.

Musk previously stated that if the 14th test flight went smoothly, SpaceX planned to attempt to catch the returning Starship spacecraft using the launch tower for the first time in the 15th test flight. He also said SpaceX might conduct its first reflight of hardware that has already flown missions—Super Heavy boosters and Starship spacecraft—at the end of this year, but more likely early next year.

Nearly 10-hour Mission Not Over Yet—Heat Shield Faces Key Test

Although Starship has entered orbit for the first time, this test mission is not yet complete. According to flight plans, at the end of the nearly 10-hour mission, the Starship spacecraft will deorbit and return to Earth, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. At that time, SpaceX will again test Starship’s thermal protection system to see whether the spacecraft can withstand the extreme heat generated during the high-speed reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

During a previous flight, Starship successfully survived the reentry test and remained intact after splashing down in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX then successfully recovered the vehicle to study the performance of its heat shield tiles and thermal protection system during descent.

However, some experts argue that Starship’s current heat shield design is still insufficient to support the rapid, fully reusable mode SpaceX is aiming for. Musk, however, stated during the August earnings call that he believes Starship's “heat protection issue has been resolved.”