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Reusable superheavy-lift general-purpose launch vehicle
Starship is a two-stage, fully reusable, super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. Currently built and launched from Starbase in Texas, it is intended as the successor to the company's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, and is part of SpaceX's broader reusable launch system development program. If completed as designed, Starship would be the first fully reusable orbital rocket and have the highest payload capacity of any launch vehicle to date. As of July 24, 2026, Starship has launched 13 times, with 8 successful flights and 5 failures.
More on Wikipedia ↗Starship had already flown 99 percent of the way to low-Earth orbit. Monday's flight added the last bit.
Starship is key to SpaceX's commercial success and NASA's plans to land humans on the moon. This is the 14th flight of the uncrewed Starship, but the first time it reached orbit.
SpaceX's massive Starship rocket lifted off from Texas Monday morning on its most ambitious mission yet, marking its first attempt at orbit.