Space X’s Starship reached Earth orbit on Sept. 28, 2026, and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites on Flight 14, SpaceX’s flight page and contemporaneous coverage say.
Space X says the vehicle lifted from Starbase, Texas, and that after a second burn Starship entered orbit and released the 26 satellites, which the company says were contacted soon after by laser links, ground stations and user terminals.
Coverage of the flight notes there were engine shutdowns: one Super Heavy booster engine stopped early and a Raptor vacuum on the ship cut off, but remaining engines compensated so the stack reached orbit and completed payload deployment.
Space X’s Flight 14 page and reporting say the satellites are in on-orbit checkout and must raise their orbits before they will serve customers; the outlets caution that being in orbit is not the same as being on the customer network.
For Space X and Starlink, deploying V3 hardware from a single Starship flight demonstrates the launcher’s payload scale and the company’s plan to use Starship to carry batches of next-generation satellites.
Observers and the Flight 14 discussion say the flight fell short of proving full reusability: the booster was not recovered and the mission included a precautionary early deorbit burn, so Space X still must demonstrate repeated, routine recoveries before Starship lowers launch costs long-term.
What comes next for space x is the on-orbit testing and orbit-raising of the V3 satellites, followed by Space X proving a repeatable Starship cadence and reliable reusability so the vehicle can move from experimental flights to regular commercial missions.
Related coverage before and around the flight is available in our archive, including the schedule and filings that led to Flight 14.
Starship Flight 14 set for late September and Starship launch set for Sept. 28 in the internal archive give preflight context on timing and filings.
Sources
- Elevate Conecta — described the flight timeline, engine shutdowns, splashdown and that Starship deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites on Sept. 28, 2026.
- AI Shift News — cited SpaceX’s Flight 14 page, reported lift-off time and that all 26 satellites were contacted and are in on-orbit checkout before serving customers.
