SpaceX achieved a major milestone on 26 August when its Starship rocket, designated Ship 37, deployed eight Starlink satellite simulators into near-Earth orbit. The flight marked the first time any payload has been released from the next-generation launch vehicle, which is central to the company’s plans for deep-space missions and high-capacity satellite launches. The simulators are designed to validate deployment mechanisms and other in-orbit procedures ahead of full-scale missions carrying up to 60 Starlink V3 satellites per flight. Success on the test paves the way for Starship to assume a larger role in expanding SpaceX’s broadband constellation, which currently relies on Falcon 9 rockets.