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Starship’s first orbital mission ends in fiery splashdown

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 12:25 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

SpaceX’s Starship erupted in flames after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii.
The flight, on Sept. 28 2026, was Starship’s first orbital mission, deploying 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.
One of six engines shut down after liftoff, but controllers restarted another for a 19-second burn.
Starship reached about 275 km altitude, then mission control ended the three-hour flight with the Pacific splashdown.

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Story summary

SpaceX’s Starship erupted in flames after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii.
The flight, on Sept. 28 2026, was Starship’s first orbital mission, deploying 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.
One of six engines shut down after liftoff, but controllers restarted another for a 19-second burn.
Starship reached about 275 km altitude, then mission control ended the three-hour flight with the Pacific splashdown.