Bangkok: SpaceX's Starship rocket successfully launched from Texas on Friday, marking the 13th test mission aimed at commercializing the Starlink internet service by the year's end. The mission effectively delivered 20 upgraded Starlink internet satellites into a temporary low Earth orbit.
According to Thai News Agency, the Starship rocket system, approximately 122 meters tall, lifted off at around 6:50 p.m. Eastern Time from Starbase, Texas. The mission deployed the new Starlink V3 satellites, which are designed to offer enhanced bandwidth and internet speeds. These satellites were temporarily integrated into SpaceX's existing network of roughly 10,000 satellites before re-entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up along their planned trajectory.
This test flight utilized a new rocket central to SpaceX's plans for expanding satellite internet services. The rocket also plays a crucial role in the mission to land humans on the moon for NASA by 2028 and aims to launch thousands of artificial intelligence satellites into orbit in the future. The mission, which lasted about an hour, saw the Starship re-enter Earth's atmosphere with minimal damage to its heat shield, marking a significant improvement from previous tests.
The spacecraft executed a maneuver to flip back into a vertical position before landing in the Indian Ocean, simulating a land-based touchdown in Texas for future missions. However, during the early flight stages, as the Starship reached speeds of 26,400 kilometers per hour approximately 10 minutes post-launch, the Super Heavy first stage rocket failed to land completely, impacting the Gulf of Mexico more forcefully than expected.
SpaceX reported that five engines failed to re-ignite for a controlled landing, echoing similar issues experienced in May tests where four engines did not re-ignite, leading to a crash. SpaceX aims to expand its Starlink network with the V3 satellites by the end of 2026, enhancing signal capacity to allow regular mobile phones to connect directly to satellites when out of conventional mobile network range.