SpaceX has released footage from the 14th Starship flight, marking the first orbital deployment of Starlink V3 satellites. During the mission, the spacecraft successfully released 26 new-generation units into low Earth orbit. This operation proceeded despite the premature shutdown of one Raptor engine during the ascent phase.
The Starlink V3 satellites are designed with a capacity of approximately 1 Tbit/s for the downlink channel, which is ten times higher than the performance of the Starlink V2 Mini series. Their physical dimensions exceed the payload capabilities of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, necessitating the use of the larger Starship system for deployment.
The mission occurred on September 28, 2026, exactly 18 years after the Falcon 1 rocket achieved orbit on September 28, 2008. Following the deployment, the Starship vehicle was destroyed after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX stated that this outcome was expected, as the craft is not engineered to withstand landing in cold ocean waters.
