New Delhi, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft successfully reached orbit on Monday and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, marking a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to develop a fully reusable launch system for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
The flight encountered a technical issue during ascent when one of Starship’s six Raptor Vacuum (RVac) engines shut down. After assessing the performance and health of the remaining engines, SpaceX engineers decided to continue the mission, allowing the spacecraft to proceed into orbit.
According to SpaceX, Starship is scheduled to complete six orbits around Earth during a flight lasting approximately 10 hours before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile.
The company confirmed the successful deployment of the satellites in a post on the social media platform X, stating, “All 26 Starlink V3 operational satellites deployed and operating nominally.”
The deployment of the 26 Starlink V3 satellites was a key objective of the mission. The latest generation of SpaceX’s internet constellation is designed to substantially improve connectivity speeds, network reliability and overall capacity worldwide.
SpaceX said each Starlink V3 satellite is capable of supporting up to 1 terabit per second (Tbps) of downlink capacity and 160 gigabits per second (Gbps) of uplink capacity. This represents a tenfold increase in downlink capability and a 22-fold improvement in uplink performance compared with the previous-generation Starlink V2 satellites.
Following deployment, the satellites are expected to unfold their antennas, extend their solar arrays and establish initial communications with ground stations and the wider Starlink network using radio frequency and laser links. They will then use onboard thrusters to gradually raise themselves to their operational orbit.
The improved performance of the V3 satellites is supported by next-generation beamforming chips developed by SpaceX. The upgraded technology is designed to enable more efficient data traffic routing across multiple beams and increase modem throughput capacity by 64 times compared with earlier systems.
SpaceX said the enhanced capabilities will help it serve customers more efficiently in densely populated urban centres as well as remote regions. The system is also designed to dynamically adjust network capacity in response to changing demand.
The Starship programme is central to SpaceX’s ambition to develop a fully reusable launch system capable of supporting future space exploration missions, including planned journeys to the Moon and Mars.
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