Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Starship megarocket reached Earth orbit for the first time on Monday, marking a major milestone for the space company’s ambitious plans for the spacecraft.The 407-foot (124-metre) rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s launch site in southern Texas and entered orbit during its latest test flight.The mission was designed to take Starship around Earth six times over nearly 10 hours, flying at an altitude of about 170 miles (275 km), before a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Chile.Starship, which SpaceX describes as the “biggest and most powerful” rocket ever built, was also carrying 26 of the company’s latest Starlink satellites. The satellites were intended to be deployed in orbit and add to the more than 11,000 Starlink satellites already providing internet services.
