SpaceX's Starship rocket splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after orbiting the Earth for about three hours
The mission was supposed to last about 10 hours, but the SpaceX team decided to end it early - we've asked them what led to this decision
The ship deployed 26 "next generation" Starlink V3 satellites, joining the existing constellation which deliver broadband internet on Earth
Earlier, there was drama as engineers had to decide if they would send the rocket to orbit after an engine issue - our science reporter explains the risks of sending a rocket into orbit
SpaceX describes Starship as "the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed" and says it will eventually carry crew and cargo "to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond"
SpaceX has just said its teams will soon begin loading Starship with about 12 million lbs (5.4 million kg) of liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
It also says the target launch time is 07:48 CT (13:48 BST), two minutes later than its earlier announcement.
The launch is still not guaranteed, and it can be abandoned at any time.
Georgina Rannard
Climate and Science reporter
If all goes to plan, Starship 14 will go orbital today for the first time, looping around Earth as many as six times.
It’s a significant test of SpaceX as the company tries to move Starship out of its testing phase into full, reliable operation.
SpaceX has proven it can build the world’s largest and most powerful rocket to date - the rocket today will stand at more than 100 metres.
But it needs to show that it can get the capsule beyond Earth’s sub-orbit. Since launching for the first time three years ago, nearly half of Starship’s 13 missions have ended in unintended explosions.
SpaceX says its motto is to push capacities to the extreme and that it is content to fail along the way - but the clock is ticking for the company to prove to US space agency Nasa that it has reliable space vehicles and systems.
Starship has a multi-billion dollar contract with Nasa to carry astronauts to the Moon as part of America’s Artemis programme.
Today could mark a new phase in the development of SpaceX’s rocket, but also introduce new risks as it will be harder to quickly pull the capsule back to Earth if something goes wrong.
Starship is a spacecraft and rocket designed by Elon Musk's company SpaceX.
Musk wants it to revolutionise spaceflight by being "fully reusable" - something he has previously characterised as the "holy grail" of space technology.
The company describes Starship as "the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed", designed to eventually carry crew and cargo "to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond".
It consists of two main parts - the spacecraft and the so-called Super Heavy rocket. Starship is 124m (407ft) in height and 9m wide.
Its payload capacity (the maximum mass a launch vehicle can deliver to a particular orbit) is more than 100 tonnes.
Its longer-term aim is to be able to carry up to 100 people on "long-duration, interplanetary flights". This flight - its 14th test flight - is uncrewed and aims to send Starship into orbit around Earth for the first time.
Both parts of the rocket will land in the sea today but usually the booster is caught during a controlled landing - this is part of the mission to make the Starship fully reusable in the future.
SpaceX says it is planning to launch Starship around 07:46 local time (13:46 BST) - the launch window opens from 07:15 and lasts for 75 minutes.
Here's what's is set to happen before and after the launch:
(Times shown below as hr:min:sec)
00:50:00 before launch: The SpaceX flight director verifies the go-ahead to load propellant. Fuel will start to be loaded if the signal is green.
00:00:30 before launch: The director verifies the go-ahead for launch.
And here’s what is set to happen afterwards:
00:02:22: Stage separation - the upper-stage rocket separates from the Super Heavy booster.
00:07:01: The booster splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico.
00:34:07: Satellite deployment begins - it lasts for about 30 minutes.
09:28:56: Starship re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.
09:50:13: Landing flip - Starship turns to prepare for landing.
09:50:30: Starship splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, to the west of Chile.
Image source, ReutersElon Musk's company SpaceX is preparing to launch its Starship spacecraft into Earth's orbit for the first time.
It marks the spacecraft's 14th flight. Previous tests were suborbital - a flight where the spacecraft reaches space, but does not travel fast enough or long enough to stay there.
The rocket splits in two shortly after take off - the booster, which is the bottom half, will fall back to Earth roughly seven minutes after launch, landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
During the 10-hour flight, Starship will aim to complete roughly six orbits of Earth and deploy Starlink V3 satellites, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile.
Musk hopes to revolutionise space travel by eventually making Starship the world's first fully-reusable launch vehicle.
He also hopes the spacecraft will one day carry crew to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Today, it is uncrewed.
Previous test flights haven't all been smooth sailing with several incidents in 2025, including the rocket exploding into a giant fireball on its stand in June. Recent tests have been more successful.
The launch window opens at 07:15 local time, with a current target for lift off at 07:46 (13:46 BST), at the Starbase in Texas - you can watch live here.