Watch: Starship splashdown ends in fireball

September 28, 2026

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft completed an abbreviated orbital mission that concluded with a fiery splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The mission was originally planned to last 10 hours but was terminated after approximately 90 minutes of flight, though the spacecraft had spent around three hours in orbit total. During its time in space, Starship successfully deployed 26 advanced Starlink V3 satellites that will join SpaceX's existing network providing global broadband internet service.

Who is affected

SpaceX (mission operator)
Users of Starlink broadband internet services (beneficiaries of the newly deployed satellites)
The 26 Starlink V3 satellites that were deployed

What action is being taken

SpaceX is deploying Starlink V3 satellites to expand its broadband internet constellation
The Starship spacecraft is conducting orbital flight testing

Why it matters

This mission demonstrates SpaceX's capability to deploy next-generation satellites using Starship, which is significant for expanding global broadband internet access through the Starlink constellation. The early termination of the mission, while notable, still allowed for successful satellite deployment, showing progress in SpaceX's spaceflight and communications infrastructure development.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC