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It is not an orbital test.

• mabbo 4y ago
  It's almost an orbital test. It's so close that in theory they could accidentally make it an orbital test if they fired the engines for a tiny bit extra.
• pixl97 4y ago
  There are some tests that are not orbital tests because there is a lack of technical capability of the launch article. In this case they are shutting off the rocket early so they don't reach orbital speeds in the case they lose contact with starship (in the very unlikely case it makes it to space) as it circles the Earth. This avoids a second burn on the test unit to pull it out of orbit where you could possibly end up with an out of control descent in to places not of your choosing.
• sebzim4500 4y ago
  It's an orbital test in that it tests the capability of the system to reach orbit. It is not an orbital test in that it does not actually achieve orbit.