SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket from the Starbase facility in Texas at 7:49 AM local time on Monday. This mission marked the 14th test flight for the vehicle and its first successful entry into orbit. During the ascent, one of the six Raptor engines shut down prematurely, but engineers opted to continue the flight after reviewing mission data.
The rocket carried 26 upgraded V3 Starlink satellites, which were successfully deployed into orbit. SpaceX confirmed that all deployed satellites are in good condition. These units are designed to integrate into the existing network, which currently consists of more than 11,000 satellites. Previous launches had tested V3 prototypes that were intentionally deorbited.
CFO Bret Johnsen described the mission as a revenue-generating flight, noting that the V3 satellites have reached mass production standards. CEO Elon Musk stated that V3 satellites offer more than 10 times the capacity of V2 models. The company expects these new satellites to significantly drive revenue growth for the Starlink communications service.
