SpaceX has launched its Starship spacecraft from the company's Starbase facility from Boca Chica Beach in Texas, on a critical test flight that sent the 171-foot-tall vehicle into orbit for the first time.At 7:48 am CT, Starship's Super Heavy booster ignited its 33 rocket engines to send the spacecraft on its 14th flight.Two-and-a-half minutes after launch, Starship separated from the booster and continued into space.
One of the six engines on Starship failed during ascent, prompting SpaceX to decide whether to continue to orbit.At about 22 minutes into the flight, the team decided it was safe to do so.Super Heavy is designed to be reusable by returning to its launch site, where it is caught by the launch tower.
This booster, however, simulated a landing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.SpaceX is testing upgrades to the booster's software and hardware during this flight.
No one is on board for this mission.The 10-hour flight plan for Starship includes approximately six orbits around the Earth at an altitude of about 170 miles.Previous Starship flights have been suborbital.
Starship 14 is the first time the vehicle will reach orbital speeds — about 17,500 mph.SpaceX says this mission's launch profile includes portions that would allow Starship to abort its orbital trajectory and return to Earth safely.During its flight, SpaceX intends to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites into its constellation of thousands of internet satellites that provide broadband access worldwide.
SpaceX regularly launches Starlink satellites from Florida and California using its Falcon 9 rocket, but announced the final mission from Florida last month with plans to use Starship from Florida's Space Coast in the future.If all goes as planned during Monday's flight, Starship will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile.Eventually, SpaceX wants to recover the spacecraft and reuse it.SpaceX is testing key systems of the Starship vehicle like its heat shield.
Three of those Starl...