SpaceX's Starship successfully placed satellites into orbit for the first time, advancing plans to use the vehicle for Starlink launches and eventually replace Falcon 9. The mission followed several recent failures, including two 2025 launches that blew up, a launch that failed to deploy dummy satellites, and a test-stand explosion during fueling. The flight intentionally stressed the vehicle, with chunks visible breaking away during reentry and an apparent explosion after splashdown. SpaceX emphasized a fly-fail-fix approach. The company still must demonstrate in-space refueling and full intact reentry to achieve full reuse and carry people to the Moon and Mars.
SpaceX's Starship successfully put satellites in space for the first time, a major milestone for the Elon Musk-led company after a year marked by explosive test flights and development setbacks. Tuesday's mission from its Texas launch site brings SpaceX closer to being able to use the vehicle to start lofting its Starlink internet satellites and, eventually, replace the company's workhorse Falcon 9 altogether.
The relatively smooth test flight comes after the first two launches of 2025 blew up within minutes, and a third failed to deploy dummy satellites and spun out of control. Another Starship spacecraft exploded on a test stand in June during fueling. The success affirms Musk's fly-fail-fix approach to rocketry that has seen SpaceX become the world's dominant space transportation company and among its most valuable. But there's still a long road ahead before Starship will be ready to carry people to distant places like the moon and Mars.
Notably, the company needs to figure out how to refuel its Starship vehicles while they're in space, something SpaceX aims to attempt for the first time next year. SpaceX also needs to demonstrate that Starship can come back to Earth fully intact in order to fulfill the company's promise that the vehicle will be fully reusable. During Tuesday's flight, chunks of Starship could be seen breaking away as the spacecraft plunged through Earth's atmosphere. It appeared to explode after splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
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