SpaceX has successfully deployed its first batch of 26 Starlink V3 satellites during the 14th flight of the Starship spacecraft. The operation, which took place on September 28, 2026, marked the first time the vehicle carried Starlink hardware into orbit.
The new V3 satellites offer a significant performance boost compared to the previous V2 Mini generation. Each unit provides approximately 1 Tbps of downlink capacity and up to 160 Gbps of uplink capacity, representing a tenfold increase in throughput.
This mission serves as a critical step for the company's scaling strategy. SpaceX intends to utilize Starship to deliver up to 60 Starlink V3 satellites per launch, aiming to expand the network's capacity much faster than the current Falcon 9 rocket fleet allows.
