SpaceX’s massive Starship reached orbit for the first time on Monday and successfully deployed its most advanced Starlink satellites yet, but the company ended the flight early as a safety precaution.
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The spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean and splashed down north of Hawaii about three hours after taking off from Texas. SpaceX had planned a 10-hour flight with six laps around Earth to demonstrate Starship’s readiness for Nasa's Artemis moon programme.
Starship tipped over and burst into flames after hitting the water, bringing a dramatic end to the mission.
The rocket nearly failed to reach orbit after one of its engines shut down earlier than planned. However, the other systems were working well and the engine was no longer needed, so flight controllers decided to continue the mission after several tense minutes.
“Starship is orbital,” Mission Control announced to cheers.
Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on reaching orbit and “managing every step in a safe, responsible and especially inspirational way.”
