SpaceX's Starship reaches orbit, deploys 26 Starlink satellites
What happened
SpaceX's Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight September 28, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites into a 276-kilometer operational orbit. Each V3 satellite carries roughly ten times the data capacity of the prior generation. A full 60-satellite Starship launch would add more than 20 times the bandwidth of one Falcon 9 Starlink mission. SpaceX ended the mission early, about three hours in, after the satellites deployed successfully and the Super Heavy booster splashed down intact in the Gulf.
Read-across for SES
Starship was SpaceX's last major constraint on Starlink deployment speed. Clearing it removes any near-term ceiling on how fast SpaceX can out-launch rivals, including SES's own meoSphere and IRIS² manifests, which still depend on scarce non-SpaceX rockets. Each V3 satellite's bandwidth jump also widens the cost-per-bit gap SES must close to compete on price.
As the brief filed it
[AGE: 3h] SpaceX's Starship reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites, each carrying about ten times the prior generation's bandwidth. It widens SpaceX's launch-capacity edge over every satellite operator, SES included.