SpaceX has released four slow-motion videos capturing the launch of the Starship Flight 14 mission, which took place on September 28, 2026, from the Starbase facility. The footage provides a detailed view of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster during the initial seconds of the flight.
This mission marked the first successful orbital insertion for the Starship system. During the flight, one engine on the Super Heavy booster and one engine on the upper stage shut down, though the company confirmed that these anomalies did not prevent the completion of primary mission objectives.
The rocket successfully deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit. According to Starlink, this addition increases the total network capacity by up to 26 Tbps. Each individual V3 satellite is capable of delivering up to 1 Tbps for the downlink and 160 Gbps for the uplink.
The Starship vehicle exploded following its splashdown in the ocean. SpaceX clarified that the craft is not designed for water landings, and therefore the post-splashdown destruction is not considered a failure of the mission objectives.
The Starship architecture is designed to transport over 100 tons of payload to orbit. This capacity is intended to support the expansion of satellite constellations and serve as the foundation for future crewed spaceflight missions.
