SpaceX's Starship reaches orbit and deploys 26 Starlink satellites, with a first-ever ship catch still ahead

SpaceX launched Starship on its 15th test flight from Starbase, Texas, on Friday evening on a mission meant to recover both stages of the giant rocket for the first time, the company said.

"Recovering the entire launch vehicle is considered the holy grail of rocketry," SpaceX said before liftoff. "On this mission, we will attempt to recover both stages of Starship for the first time."

The first half of that goal slipped away. After stage separation, the Super Heavy booster headed back toward Starbase for a tower catch, but SpaceX then said it "diverted to an offshore splashdown in the Gulf."

The ship kept going. SpaceX said Starship completed its ascent burn, fired a single Raptor engine to enter an orbit of about 275 kilometers, and then released its payload. "Payload deploy complete. All 26 Starlink V3 satellites are in orbit," the company posted a little after 7 p.m. ET.

Starship is now in a long coast around Earth. SpaceX said teams will monitor the ship over the roughly 21 hours it is meant to stay in orbit, that it has a few early deorbit options if needed, and that "all systems are looking good right now." If the flight goes to plan, it ends with SpaceX's first attempt to bring the ship back and recover it at Starbase.