Overview
- SpaceX launched Starship’s 14th test flight and successfully placed the S41 upper stage into low Earth orbit, completing an on-orbit deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
- The Super Heavy booster B21 completed a planned splashdown minutes after liftoff and the S41 upper stage later performed a guided deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific west of Chile.
- A vacuum-optimized Raptor engine on S41 failed during ascent so the stage used a single Raptor engine burn to reach roughly 275 kilometers in a 32°-inclination orbit.
- SpaceX confirmed contact with all 26 satellites and three of those carried cameras that returned imagery of Starship’s heatshield for engineers to inspect thermal-protection condition.
- By ending on-orbit operations earlier than planned, the flight validated end-to-end orbital capability and recovery procedures and advances Starlink expansion while highlighting the need to improve vacuum engine reliability.