SpaceX will attempt its first orbital Starship test flight on Monday; the mission could last nearly 10 hours and, if successful, may pave the way for routine orbital satellite launches.

The vehicle will carry 26 upgraded V3 Starlink satellites for deployment and integration into SpaceX’s Starlink network, which now tops roughly 11,000 satellites.

Previous Starship tests were deliberately non‑orbital for safety; an earlier flight that deployed V3 units saw those satellites intentionally burn up on reentry.