SpaceX Successfully Launches Starship into Earth Orbit on 14th Attempt

October 13, Kathmandu – SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, has successfully sent its powerful rocket ‘Starship’ into Earth’s orbit for the first time. During the 14th test flight on September 28, Starship also deployed 26 new Starlink satellites into space. The launch took place from the Starbase facility in Texas at 6:30 PM Nepal time.

Previously, all Starship test flights had been limited to sub-orbital trajectories with the goal of collecting as much data as possible on rocket performance while maintaining safety. This time, however, Starship achieved orbital insertion for the first time.

The mission ended earlier than planned. Originally, Starship was scheduled to orbit Earth for approximately 10 hours, but after an in-flight review, the controllers decided to shorten the mission. About 2 hours and 12 minutes after launch, the starship completed its de-orbit burn, and roughly three hours into flight, the vehicle successfully landed in the Pacific Ocean.

The Starship system consists of two major components: the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster. Together, they stand about 403 feet (123 meters) tall. Since its inaugural test flight in 2023, Starship’s testing program has now reached its 14th flight, marking the first time it has reached orbital velocity. SpaceX plans to develop Starship as a fully reusable vehicle capable of carrying humans and large amounts of cargo into space in the future.