New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- SpaceX's Starship reached orbit for the first time on Monday and successfully deployed 26 advanced Starlink satellites, marking a milestone for Elon Musk's ambitions to expand satellite internet services and develop a spacecraft for future lunar and Mars missions.

However, the company cut the flight short after an engine malfunction, with the spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii about three hours after liftoff from Texas.

The mission was originally planned to last 10 hours, with Starship completing six laps around Earth to demonstrate its readiness for NASA's Artemis moon programme.

SpaceX's Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, achieved orbit for the first time duri...