SpaceX's Starship reached orbit for the first time on Monday after an engine went out during the flight, according to posts from Zero Hedge, OANN and First Squawk that tracked the launch in real time.
The launch drew live coverage across social media and mainstream outlets as the world's largest and most powerful rocket attempted orbital insertion. Zero Hedge initially reported that SpaceX was "considering" an orbit attempt after an engine failure, then confirmed minutes later that the spacecraft had reached orbit. The sequence was carried by the financial news account First Squawk, OANN and Zero Hedge, each posting updates as the flight progressed.
First Squawk posted at 13:12 UTC that a "go-ahead" had been given for the orbit attempt "despite engine going out." Zero Hedge followed with a post confirming Starship would not enter orbit because of the engine failure. The same account then posted that SpaceX was reconsidering an orbit attempt. Eight minutes later, Zero Hedge reported that Starship had reached orbit. OANN had already begun live coverage of the launch, posting that SpaceX was launching Starship into orbit for the first time.
The engine issue was flagged before the decision to proceed. At 13:04 UTC, Zero Hedge posted that SpaceX confirmed Starship would not enter orbit following an engine failure, and that shares in the company fell to a premarket low during the flight. That post was followed four minutes later by another saying SpaceX was considering an orbit attempt after the engine went out. At 13:12, First Squawk reported that a go-ahead had been given for the orbit attempt despite the engine failure. By 13:16, Zero Hedge reported that Starship had reached orbit for the first time. At 13:20, Zero Hedge refined the account: "SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit After Engine Failure Scare."
Mainstream coverage described the launch in similar terms. CNN reported that Starship would attempt to reach orbit for the first time, beginning a new phase in its development and introducing new risks. The BBC reported that the spacecraft had launched from Texas and that the rocket split in half as planned within minutes of takeoff, with the ship entering orbit as the orbital insertion burn began. ABC News reported that the launch was the fourteenth test flight of Starship and that it was on track for Monday morning.
According to the BBC, the spacecraft was due to go around Earth six times and deploy twenty-six Starlink satellites. That detail was not confirmed by SpaceX in the posts reviewed, and it was not immediately clear whether the plan changed following the engine failure.
Initial social media reports on Monday said that an engine had gone out during ascent. Posts from Zero Hedge and First Squawk described a "scare" and a "go-ahead" for an orbit attempt despite that failure. The accounts did not specify which engine failed or at what point during the flight the failure occurred. They also did not say whether the engine failure affected the spacecraft's ability to complete its planned mission. CNN's live coverage, which included reporting from the launch site, described the flight as an unprecedented test of the massive rocket.
The launch marks the first time Starship has entered Earth's orbit after more than a dozen test flights. The company's previous attempts had ended in explosions or partial failures, and the orbital milestone had been anticipated for months. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said the vehicle is central to the company's plans for satellite deployment and eventual missions beyond Earth orbit. Neither Musk nor SpaceX issued a public statement on the engine failure in the posts reviewed.
Next News Network could not independently verify that Starship reached orbit or that an engine failed during the flight.
Our Take
If Starship truly made orbit on Monday, it is a genuine engineering milestone for a program that has blown up more rockets than most companies ever build. The fact that it happened on the same flight where an engine failed and shares dipped to a premarket low tells you everything about how thin the margin is between triumph and disaster in this business. SpaceX and its media cheerleaders want you to focus on the orbit. The engine failure is the part worth watching. A rocket that loses an engine on the way up and still reaches orbit is either a testament to redundancy or a warning that the company is pushing hardware past its limits. The next test flight will tell us which.
