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SpaceX launches Starship rocket as it aims to orbit around Earth for first time
- On Monday, September 28, 2026, SpaceX's Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time during its 14th full-scale test flight from Starbase, Texas, surviving an early engine shutdown during ascent.
- Previous Starship tests were limited to suborbital trajectories over three years, part of a development campaign costing SpaceX more than $15 billion, setting high stakes for this orbital attempt.
- After flight controllers reversed a 'no-go' decision following a Raptor engine failure, Starship proceeded to orbit and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites into the company's broadband constellation.
- Mission control announced 'Starship is orbital' during the live stream; flight controllers then cut the planned 10-hour mission to three hours, redirecting the vehicle for a Pacific Ocean splashdown.
- This orbital success positions SpaceX to support NASA's Artemis lunar missions, with Elon Musk eyeing future catch attempts using mechanical arms to enable rapid Starship reflying by year's end.
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SpaceX Starship splashes down after successful 1st orbital flight test
(NEW YORK) - SpaceX on Monday launched the world's largest and most powerful rocket and spacecraft on a mission that marks the first time the spacecraft achieved orbit. Starship splashed down in the Pacific, north of Hawaii, just before noon ET. Although the mission ended some seven hours earlier than planned, with the company choosing to return to Earth during the first scheduled mission checkpoint, SpaceX is calling flight 14 a success because…
SpaceX completes a historic milestone on its fourteenth test flight, but shortens the mission duration from ten to three hours
SpaceX's Starship rocket landed in the Pacific Ocean after orbiting the Earth for about three hours.
·Belgrade, Serbia
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Total News Sources484
Leaning Left73Leaning Right69Center129Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Center
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources are Center
48% Center
L 27%
C 48%
R 25%
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