SpaceX has successfully launched its Starship rocket on its 13th test flight, carrying the first 20 next-generation Starlink satellites into suborbital space.
The 122-metre-tall rocket lifted off from the company's Starbase facility in Texas as part of SpaceX's plan to begin routine Starship operations by the end of the year.
The mission deployed third-generation Starlink satellites, designed to deliver greater capacity, wider bandwidth and faster internet speeds, before briefly connecting to SpaceX's network of nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit.
The flight also marked the debut of an upgraded Starship vehicle, supporting SpaceX's ambitions to expand the Starlink constellation, launch AI-focused satellites and prepare for future NASA missions, including crewed lunar landings planned for 2028.
The hour-long mission concluded with Starship's controlled return through Earth's atmosphere.
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