The Starship upper stage continued on its journey through space, attaining, for the first time, an orbital velocity exceeding 16,156 miles per hour (26,000 kilometers per hour). Technically, Starship didn’t achieve Earth orbit (that wasn’t the plan), but its velocity was within the ballpark of the speed needed for it to maintain a stable orbit around the planet.
The spacecraft’s six Raptor engines fired for roughly six minutes, “becoming the first Starship to complete its full-duration ascent burn,” according to SpaceX. That said, “Starship did not attempt its planned on-orbit relight of a single Raptor engine due to vehicle roll rates during coast,” marking one of several failed objectives for the mission.
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