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SpaceX Starship reaches orbit, deploys next-gen Starlinks

Ars Technica •
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SpaceX's 14th Starship test flight began with a Monday morning liftoff from Starbase, Texas. This time, the rocket’s massive upper stage accelerated to orbital velocity. On all previous flights, SpaceX intentionally flew a suborbital trajectory. After several successful suborbital flights, officials decided this launch should go all the way to low-Earth orbit.

What’s more, SpaceX packed 26 of the company’s newest generation of Starlink broadband satellites into the rocket’s cargo bay. The flat-packed satellites, too large to fit inside Falcon 9, were released using a system of pulleys and cables. Flight 14 began at 8:49 am EDT as 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines pushed the 407-foot-tall rocket off its pad.

The Super Heavy booster made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage followed a similar trajectory as previous flights. One of the six Raptors on Starship shut down prematurely, and five others burned longer. Two of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster also failed. Officials ultimately decided to proceed with the orbit insertion burn, placing Starship into low-Earth orbit.