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Starship reaches orbit as an engine shutdown refocuses insurer scrutiny
The Sept. 28 mission included an unexpected shutdown of an RVac engine during ascent, and SpaceX shortened the flight to about three hours after reviewing the remaining engines.
SpaceX completed its first orbital flight of the Starship rocket on September 28, launching from Boca Chica, Texas and deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites before splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile, according to Insurance Business. The company said the test was a success and marked the 14th integrated test of the Starship system.
The flight was not without complications, with BBC reporting that one of the upper stage's six RVac engines shut down unexpectedly during ascent. Engineers reviewed whether to continue and voted to proceed after checking the remaining engines, but SpaceX cut the mission short from its planned 10-hour, six-orbit profile, returning to Earth after roughly three hours.
Insurance Business also noted that engine and ignition problems have appeared in earlier Starship attempts that the insurance market is tracking as the program moves toward commercial operations. Starship Flight 12 in May saw an RVac engine fail during the climb to space, and Flight 13 in July was aborted on the launch pad after four of the Super Heavy booster engines failed to ignite, according to Spaceflight Now and the Associated Press. The outlet said SpaceX treats anomalies as part of an active test program.