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SpaceX's Starship rocket reaches orbit for the first time on a test flight
September 28, 2026
SpaceX launches Starship from its Starbase facility in Texas on a test flight that reaches orbit for the first time.
SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Florida and California on its Falcon 9 rocket and has been testing Starship, which it launches from its Starbase facility in Texas.
Key facts
- NPR reports that SpaceX flies its Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 from both Florida and California, but it said last month that its Florida missions were ending and that Starship would later lift off from the Space Coast.
- COO Gwynne Shotwell said at the All-In Summit this month that SpaceX intends to have Starship put "supercompute in space," with "AI compute satellites" going into orbit in 2027, CNBC reports.
- NPR reports that the 171-foot Starship reached orbit for the first time on a key test flight launched from the SpaceX Starbase site at Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
- CNN reports that the change could transform SpaceX and the American rocket business, turning Louisiana, a state with no orbital launch history, into what could be the busiest spaceport anywhere.
- CNN reports that Starship flights from the Louisiana site would begin only after the rocket is operational and has shown it can carry cargo to orbit safely.
NPR reports that SpaceX launched Starship from its Starbase site at Boca Chica Beach in Texas, and that the 171-foot vehicle reached orbit on the test flight for the first time. CNN describes the flight as the step meant to move Starship beyond its prototype phase and toward regular operation. Axios, in its headline, likewise describes a first orbital flight for the rocket.
CNBC reports that, speaking at the All-In Summit this month, SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell said Starship is meant to place AI compute satellites in orbit in 2027. CNN reports that a Louisiana site would host Starship flights once the rocket is operational and has shown it can carry cargo to orbit safely, a change CNN says could make a state with no prior orbital launch perhaps the busiest spaceport on Earth. NPR adds that SpaceX flies Starlink satellites on its Falcon 9 rocket from Florida and California, announced its final Florida mission last month, and plans to fly Starship from the Space Coast later.
CNBC, CNN and NPR agree on the launch and its outcome. The launch and the first orbit are reported across all three outlets. The Louisiana flights and the 2027 satellite launches remain company plans.
Still developing
The future use of Louisiana to host Starship flights once the rocket is operational stands as the last development at the time of this draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- CNBC — SpaceX prepares to send Starship rocket to orbit for first time
- CNN — Live updates: Unprecedented test flight of SpaceX’s Starship lifts off and will aim for orbit
- NPR — SpaceX’s Starship launches on first orbital mission from Texas
- axios.com — SpaceX launches Starship rocket on first orbital flight
Toggle read the full reports of 4 of the 5 outlets counted on this event. The other 1 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.