SpaceX Starship: 13 Launches, 1 Orbit ‑ the Rollercoaster Saga

Sun Sep 27 2026 22:17:22 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

SpaceX’s 13 test flights of Starship are about to hit orbit on the 14th launch. Swipe to see the highs and lows of rocket science!

SpaceX has completed 13 Starship launch attempts, each dropping the supersonic craft. The upcoming 14th flight could be the first to circle Earth and survive a 10‑hour journey. Behind each burn was a story of fierce engineering, half‑flight failures and triumphant re‑starts, showing the reality of rocket‑building. The mission will cruise roughly six times around the globe before landing. This milestone could usher in a new era of orbital travel, making launches almost as routine as cellular data plans.

SpaceX Starship: 13 Launches, 1 Orbit ‑ the Rollercoaster Saga

SpaceX’s flagship Starship has bounced off a launch pad 13 times. Each lift‑off, called a “test flight”, tested new design parts, fueling systems and the twin‑stage rockets that could one day ferry astronauts, cargo and satellites to deep‑space destinations.

The next (14th) flight is slated to happen on Monday. If it works, the rocket will make about six orbits around Earth in a 10‑hour adventure before returning for a splash‑down splash‑down (yes, again). Hit that orbit marker? It could be the first time a Starship literally reaches space and cycles back.

Rising & Falling—What the 13 Tests Mean

First two flights were all about static tests and 10‑second hops; nothing great.

Mid‑series saw a record‑breaking 10‑minute hover, but the rockets blew up mid‑air – learn that science is messy.

The 10th flight reached 104 miles, the orange (high‑density) space‑rocket’s highest altitude yet.

The 12th launch finally managed a 10‑minute fire‑ball flight that lasted 60 seconds before it exploded again.

Each failure pushed the design team to tweak, test, fail again – a sort of “fail‑fast” habit that makes big rockets better.

Gamified Challenge: “Spin the Orbit”

Quick question for all future rocket nerds: how many orbits will Starship make in the 10‑hour flight? Guess 2, 4, 6, or 8? Answer in comments! We’ll give a shout‑out to the closest guess in tomorrow’s summary.

SpaceX’s rollercoaster of tests shows the hard reality that space travel isn’t a silver line; every lift keeps science moving forward.