SpaceX's massive Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time Monday after launching from the company's Starbase facility in South Texas, marking a major milestone for the spacecraft's development and its future role in NASA's moon program.

Starship reached an altitude of about 170 miles and traveled roughly 17,500 mph during the test flight. The spacecraft successfully deployed 26 of SpaceX's newest Starlink satellites before beginning its return to Earth.

The mission nearly failed when one of Starship's engines shut down earlier than expected. The remaining engines continued operating, however, allowing flight controllers to proceed with the planned orbital test.

“Starship is orbital,” Mission Control announced after the spacecraft reached orbit.

SpaceX had planned for the flight to last about 10 hours and complete six trips around Earth. Instead, flight controllers ended the mission after roughly three hours, with Starship splashing down north of Hawaii.

The spacecraft tipped over and erupted in flames after hitting the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX did not immediately give a reason for ending the flight early.

The successful orbital flight was the 14th full-scale Starship launch from Texas in about three years. Previous test flights traveled no farther than the Indian Ocean and frequently ended in crashes or explosions.

Starship is designed to be fully reusable and is being developed to carry satellites and astronauts. SpaceX is also building a version of the spacecraft for NASA's Artemis program, which is intended to return astronauts to the moon.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on reaching orbit, calling the achievement safe, responsible and inspirational.

SpaceX is expected to use the results from Monday's flight to make further changes before attempting another launch. The company is also developing additional Starship launch sites in Florida and Louisiana.