SpaceX launches Starship on 10-hour test flight, aiming to orbit Earth 6 times

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket blasted off from Texas Sunday morning on its most ambitious test flight yet, beginning a roughly 10-hour mission aimed at sending the spacecraft around Earth six times.

The launch marks Starship’s 14th test flight and its first attempt to reach orbit, a major step beyond previous suborbital missions that ended with splashdowns about an hour after liftoff. The uncrewed spacecraft is also expected to deploy 26 Starlink satellites before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Minutes into the spacecraft’s ascent, the rocket lost one of its engines, throwing into question whether the test flight would abandon its goal of reaching orbit. After discussion, SpaceX decided the...