Starship's 15th test flight reaches orbit and deploys 26 Starlink V3 satellites
SpaceX's Starship rocket made its 15th test flight from South Texas on Friday evening and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit. The first stage, however, was diverted into the Gulf of Mexico instead of returning to be caught by the launch tower.
SpaceX's Starship rocket lifted off on schedule on Friday evening from the Starbase site in South Texas, flying its 15th test mission. Starship is the largest and most powerful machine humans have launched into space. This time it reached low-Earth orbit for the second time, and its primary goal, deploying Starlink V3 satellites, was achieved.
Launch and orbit
Conditions were good for the launch: the wind was so calm that the rocket's white plume lingered for many minutes. The first stage climbed without trouble and released the upper stage above the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage then ignited its Raptor engines and reached its planned orbit.
About 40 minutes into the flight, 26 Starlink V3 satellites were released through a narrow door at the base of the spacecraft. All of them reached orbit and will now use onboard propulsion to raise their altitude. When fully deployed, their solar panels stretch 60 meters end to end.
The first-stage setback
After separation the first stage dropped rapidly back toward Earth. Because of an unspecified issue, though, it was commanded to divert into the Gulf rather than return to Starbase to be caught by the launch tower. It produced a very powerful explosion, noticeable even to observers more than 10 miles away.
What comes next
The challenge for SpaceX now is to make Starship reusable and sharply increase its flight rate. The company had hoped to recover the first-stage booster, refurbish it and fly it again. SpaceX has previously landed and reflown Starship boosters, but it has yet to do so with the latest, third version of the vehicle.
