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# Starship Enters Orbit for Two Hours, Deploys Starlink Satellites
- URL: https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-flight-fourteen-orbit/
- Published: 2026-09-28T17:18:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-28T17:18:58.000Z
- Author: Jack C.
- Tags: SpaceX, Launches, Space Business, Aerospace

Lifting off from Starbase, Texas, at 12:48 pm Universal Coordinated Time on September 28th, SpaceX's Starship-Super Heavy began its [fourteenth flight test](https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-14?ref=proximareport.com) in its quest to become a fully reusable launch vehicle.

For today's test, Booster 21 lit all thirty-three of its 'Raptor 3' engines to depart Earth, with all but one continuing to power ascent out of the atmosphere. Successful hot-staging of Ship 41 would then follow, with it igniting its three sea-level and three vacuum 'Raptor 3's, while the booster kept running five engines. 

Upon leaving the Ship, Booster 21 would lose a second engine during its boostback burn, aiming its trajectory into the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Texas. Despite the engine losses, that burn would be completed a few seconds later than planned, enabling a fast descent back to the ocean surface. Two engines would remain out for a landing burn, but that did not prevent a first soft splashdown of a 'Block 3' booster using the eleven remaining 'Raptor 3's. However, not long afterwards [Booster 21 would detonate](https://bsky.app/profile/nasaspaceflight.com/post/3mwlelt4z6s26?ref=proximareport.com). 

Meanwhile, Ship 41 continued its trek up into orbit, losing one vacuum 'Raptor 3' in the process. A planned engine cut-off was pushed back by twenty seconds to allow the remaining five engines to compensate. 

That loss of an engine on Ship during ascent initially led to a calling off of an orbital insertion burn. But, a few minutes later SpaceX's teams decided that the relevant systems were functional, and proceeded forward. An orbital insertion burn subsequently took place using a single sea-level 'Raptor 3' as previously planned, allowing Starship to enter orbit for the first time. 

> Starship performs its orbital insertion burn and enters orbit of Earth for the first time [pic.twitter.com/LodrSTnEnl](https://t.co/LodrSTnEnl?ref=proximareport.com)
> 
> — SpaceX (@SpaceX) [September 28, 2026](https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2104560708969259344?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=proximareport.com)

Not long after reaching orbit, twenty-six 'Version 3' Starlink satellites were deployed from Ship 41 over the course of thirty minutes via its 'Pez dispenser' mechanism and through a tiny payload bay door. That system was verified during Starship's first two 'Block 3' flight tests in [May](https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-flight-twelve/) and [July](https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-flight-thirteen/).

During its time in space for about two hours, something not done before, Starship's mission controllers were also keen to understand how the vehicle's structure, propellant, and other systems cope while being subject to the extreme heat and cold of orbit, as it passes in front of and behind Earth relative to the Sun. Knowing that is critical to Starship's future, as going anywhere beyond low Earth orbit requires several refueling flights over the course of multiple days. 

> Views from of one of the first 26 Starlink V3 satellites successfully deployed to orbit by Starship  
>  
> Thanks for the ride, [@SpaceX](https://x.com/SpaceX?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=proximareport.com)! [pic.twitter.com/B2SSUA0N0q](https://t.co/B2SSUA0N0q?ref=proximareport.com)
> 
> — Starlink (@Starlink) [September 28, 2026](https://x.com/Starlink/status/2104603601943339071?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=proximareport.com)

While up in orbit, Ship 41 did appear to be losing several of its hexagonal ceramic thermal protection system tiles. Each of those tiles are larger than a human hand and are very fragile. One side of the tile, meant to face the atmosphere, is black while the other side, attached to the vehicle, is white. That and their size may make them hard to track from the ground, posing an orbital debris risk. 

Starship reaching orbit for the first time comes almost three and a half years after its awful debut flight in April 2023, which saw it [almost destroy](https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-damage-starbase-launch-pad?ref=proximareport.com) its own launch pad. Last year, the vehicle was hindered by terrible reliability, causing [three](https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-flight-7?ref=proxima-report.ghost.io) [Starships](https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-flight-8?ref=proxima-report.ghost.io) to [fail](https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-flight-nine?ref=proxima-report.ghost.io) during ascent and [another explode](https://proximareport.com/articles/starship-faces-major-setback-with-testing-anomaly/?ref=proxima-report.ghost.io) on the ground, keeping it from performing any orbital tests. 

Just over an hour on from liftoff, SpaceX announced that Ship 41 would be returning to Earth earlier than planned, not citing reasons as to why. [Ahead of the flight test](https://www.spacex.com/updates?ref=proximareport.com#orbital-starship), it was set to be in space for almost ten hours. Instead, it was decided that the vehicle would spend under three hours in space, with a deorbit burn performed after two hours of flight. A contingency zone in [the northern Pacific Ocean](https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2104576268624892244?s=20&ref=proximareport.com) was set up ahead of time for such a scenario.

> Deorbit burn complete. Starship is on course to reenter Earth’s atmosphere ahead of a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean in \~1 hour [pic.twitter.com/eV3zLEpWdZ](https://t.co/eV3zLEpWdZ?ref=proximareport.com)
> 
> — SpaceX (@SpaceX) [September 28, 2026](https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2104588111422627849?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=proximareport.com)

Ship 41's re-entry into Earth's atmosphere was a smooth ride down, with its thermal protection system performing as expected. Steering of the entry path was performed by the four aerodynamic control flaps as well.

That allowed Ship 41 to reach subsonic speeds intact above the Pacific Ocean and properly position itself for its landing maneuver. For it, three sea level 'Raptor 3's ignited for the final time for the flip and burn, successfully slowing the vehicle down to splashdown upright before being shut off. Moments after splashdown, Ship 41 [fell on its side and exploded](https://bsky.app/profile/nasaspaceflight.com/post/3mwloq4gbw22u?ref=proximareport.com), concluding the flight test after approximately three hours and eight minutes. 

> Splashdown confirmed. Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on the first orbital flight of Starship! [pic.twitter.com/urjmiwnvNl](https://t.co/urjmiwnvNl?ref=proximareport.com)
> 
> — SpaceX (@SpaceX) [September 28, 2026](https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2104601695711904180?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=proximareport.com)

In total, Ship 41 spent just over two hours in orbit, completing almost two laps of Earth. Due to it coming out of orbit early, the next test flight of Starship will likely need to complete what was planned for today, among other objectives SpaceX will want to add. 

Now orbit-capable, it is critical for SpaceX to demonstrate minimal propellant boiloff technology and Ship-to-Ship propellant transfer systems in the near future. Those capabilities are needed for a crewed lunar landing contracted by NASA [in 2028](https://proximareport.com/articles/nasa-reorganizes-artemis-rocket/), which itself [may need fifteen flights](https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/at-least-15-starship-launches-to-execute-artemis-iii-lunar-landing/?ref=proximareport.com) of the vehicle and the [Office of Inspector General believes](https://proximareport.com/articles/issues-present-us-landers/) SpaceX is repeatedly running behind schedules. A [handful of Starship launch pads](https://proximareport.com/articles/spacex-louisiana-starship-site/) are under construction in planning stages across America to enable the flight cadence needed to support a lunar mission.