Why SpaceX’s Starship orbital flight test is historic

Published September 28, 2026 8:20am ET



Elon Musk’s SpaceX is attempting a historic mission on Monday morning, as it aims to send its Starship rocket into orbit for the first time. 

Musk is looking to break records with Starship’s first orbital flight test by sending the world’s largest and most powerful rocket into orbit. SpaceX is aiming for about six orbits around Earth and is expected to deploy 26 of its newest Starlink satellites during the mission, which is set to last for around 10 hours. The Starship rocket is set to travel about 17,500 mph, more than 170 miles above Earth, after launching from SpaceX’s facilities in Starbase, Texas. 

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