SpaceX launched the Starship rocket from Texas for its first orbital flight and first operational satellite mission

SpaceX launched the Starship rocket on Monday, September 28, 2026, from the Starbase complex in Texas, in the vehicle’s first flight intended to reach orbit and its first operational satellite-launch mission. Liftoff took place at 7:46 a.m. local time (12:46 GMT).

The uncrewed vehicle, as tall as an approximately 40-story building, consists of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. The company plans to use the system for more frequent launches of Starlink satellites and for future NASA missions to the Moon.

According to the plan, the spacecraft was expected to complete six orbits around Earth during a flight lasting approximately 10 hours, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile. Reaching orbit represents a major objective for SpaceX, after all 13 test flights conducted since 2023 remained in the suborbital region.

The launch took place after delays from the schedule initially announced by Elon Musk, who estimated that orbit would be reached in 2022 and that satellite launches would begin in 2023. Development of the program has lasted nearly a decade and cost more than $15 billion.