Photo: EPA
SpaceX's Starship, the world's largest rocket, successfully launched from the company's Starbase facility in Texas on Friday, completing its 13th test flight, Reuters reported.
During the mission, Starship deployed 20 next-generation Starlink satellites into a suborbital trajectory for the first time, marking a key milestone ahead of the rocket's planned commercial operations.
The 122-meter-tall launch system lifted off at about 6:50 p.m. EDT. Its Super Heavy booster successfully placed the upper-stage Starship on a suborbital path before separating. The mission is expected to last about one hour, ending with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
About 10 minutes after liftoff, Starship reached a speed of approximately 26,400 kph. The Super Heavy booster returned toward Earth but splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico harder than planned, although SpaceX said it successfully reignited more engines than during its unsuccessful recovery attempt in May.
The flight marked Starship's 13th test since 2023. The rocket is central to SpaceX's plans to expand the Starlink satellite network, support NASA's lunar missions, and eventually launch thousands of satellites for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Around 20 minutes into the mission, Starship began deploying 20 Starlink V3 satellites using a new payload deployment system that SpaceX has likened to a PEZ candy dispenser.
Live footage showed the spacecraft passing over Earth's night side, with lightning storms visible roughly 190 kilometers below.
After deployment, the Starlink V3 satellites extended their solar arrays and antennas to briefly connect with the Starlink constellation, which now consists of about 10,000 satellites.
These were the first Starlink satellites launched aboard Starship. They are not intended to enter orbit and will instead re-enter Earth's atmosphere alongside the spacecraft, burning up at the end of the test flight.
Several of the satellites were equipped with cameras and lights to monitor Starship's heat shield during atmospheric re-entry, providing engineers with data on the performance of its thermal protection system.
SpaceX aims to begin routine Starship launches carrying thousands of Starlink V3 satellites by the end of 2026. The upgraded network is expected to significantly increase system capacity and enable direct satellite connectivity for standard mobile phones, complementing the current service, which primarily relies on dedicated Starlink user terminals.
