STARBASE, Texas – SpaceX launched its massive Starship rocket on its first-ever orbital test flight, a milestone with significant implications for the future of space exploration — including NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon.
The uncrewed Starship — standing 407 feet tall — lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. The launch window opened at 8:15 a.m. EDT, but the launch was pushed back to 8:48 a.m. EDT.
The rocket is expected to complete six orbits. This test flight marks the first time Starship will attempt to reach orbit around Earth. During the nearly 10-hour mission, it deployed 26 Starlink satellites.
Three of those satellites are equipped with specialized cameras pointed at Starship’s heat shield, allowing engineers to monitor its performance during the high-stress reentry phase. If the mission goes as planned, Starship will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile.
Starship is a fully reusable, two-stage rocket that SpaceX ultimately hopes to use to carry astronauts to the moon — and eventually to Mars.
What it means for NASA’s Artemis III mission
The stakes of Monday’s test flight extend well beyond SpaceX. NASA has contracted the company to develop a lunar landing system capable of carrying astronauts to the moon’s surface for the first time in more than 50 years.
NASA is investing more than $4 billion in SpaceX’s lunar lander. A successful orbital test flight Monday would be a critical step toward proving the vehicle is ready for that mission.
