SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) said its next-generation Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time on Monday despite an engine failure during the flight.
The uncrewed vehicle lifted off at approximately 7:46 a.m. CT from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas.
Starship consists of a Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft.
SpaceX shares moved slightly higher in premarket trading after having traded lower earlier in the session.
Engine Failure Creates Initial Uncertainty
One of the rocket’s engines failed while the vehicle was in space, initially creating uncertainty about whether the mission would continue to orbit.
A SpaceX spokesperson initially said the company had not made a final decision on whether to proceed.
SpaceX subsequently said Starship was “go for orbit” despite the engine failure and later confirmed that the vehicle had reached orbit.
Starship Completes First Orbital Flight
Monday’s mission was Starship’s 14th launch and its first flight to reach orbit. It also marked the vehicle’s first operational release of satellites.
SpaceX has designed Starship to support more frequent launches of its Starlink satellites and for future NASA missions to the moon.
The vehicle was expected to complete six orbits of Earth during a flight lasting approximately 10 hours before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.
Previous Flights Remained Suborbital
The previous 13 Starship test flights conducted since 2023 were limited to suborbital space.
Elon Musk had previously projected that Starship would reach orbit in 2022, followed by satellite deployments in 2023.
According to the source material, SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion on the Starship development programme.
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