SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket completed its first orbital flight on Monday before making a fiery splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after its scheduled mission was cut short.
The spacecraft lifted off early Monday from SpaceX’s launch complex in Starbase, Texas, on its 14th test flight, carrying out the first successful orbital mission of the Starship system.
However, the planned 10-hour journey around Earth was shortened after SpaceX determined that an earlier return was necessary for safety reasons.
“Splashdown confirmed.
Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on the first orbital flight of Starship!” SpaceX said in a post on X.
Starship splashed down about three hours after launch, just north of Hawaii, where the spacecraft tipped over and became engulfed in flames.
Despite the dramatic ending, the mission marked a major milestone for SpaceX, with the company confirming that Starship had successfully reached orbit before returning to Earth.
The Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy v3 booster launched amid flames and smoke from the Texas facility as part of SpaceX’s ongoing test programme.
