Key facts
- SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on Monday for its 14th test flight.
- This mission is the first attempt to reach orbit and deploy satellites.
- The rocket is carrying 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
- SpaceX will not attempt to catch the booster on return; both stages will splash down in bodies of water.
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on Monday from its Texas launch site for its 14th test flight, marking the first attempt to reach orbit and deploy revenue-generating Starlink V3 satellites. The launch occurred around 7:46 am Central Time.
Unlike previous missions, SpaceX will not attempt to catch Starship's booster with its launch tower arms. Instead, both the booster and the upper stage are planned to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, respectively. This approach, while reducing landing risks, introduces more potential failure points, as Starship must successfully enter orbit, deploy its 26 satellites, maintain system functionality for nearly 10 hours, and then execute a controlled deorbit and reentry.
Reaching orbit and deploying these satellites is a critical step for Elon Musk's vision for Starship, which he anticipates could launch daily within a year. The larger V3 satellites, enabled by Starship's greater capacity compared to the Falcon 9, will allow SpaceX to significantly expand its Starlink constellation. Starlink has become a major revenue source for SpaceX, which plans to launch up to 100,000 satellites in the coming years, potentially providing the majority of the world's internet within a decade. This expansion underpins SpaceX's $2 trillion market capitalization achieved after its June listing.
SpaceX executives estimate that Starship, designed to be fully reusable, could reduce launch costs by up to 10 times compared to the Falcon 9. This cost reduction is seen as vital for building and servicing massive satellite constellations profitably. It also paves the way for Musk's more ambitious plans, including deploying up to 1 million satellites as orbital data centers for training large language models, and supporting long-term human and robotic presence on the moon and Mars.