SpaceX targets November 13 for Starship Flight 15 and a two-stage catch
SpaceX is targeting November 13 for Starship Flight 15, which aims to catch both the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage with the launch tower’s mechanical arms. The mission follows Flight 14’s late-September orbital flight that deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
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Key takeaways
SpaceX targets November 13 for Starship Flight 15 to attempt catching both the Super Heavy booster and upper stage, which would be a first for an orbital launch vehicle
Booster 22 has completed full-duration static fire with all 33 Raptor engines running for approximately 15 seconds
Flight 14 achieved orbital insertion in late September and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites
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SpaceX is targeting Friday, November 13, for Starship Flight 15, a test that could recover both stages of the rocket for the first time. SpaceX vice president of launch Kiko Dontchev shared the target date on stage at the UP.Summit on November 5, according to Ars Technica's Eric Berger, who was at the event.
Kiko Dontchev of SpaceX just said at the UP.Summit that the company is targeting Friday, Nov. 13, for the launch Starship Flight 15. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, on X
Catching both stages
On SpaceX's October 20 earnings call, Elon Musk said Flight 15 would try to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage with the launch tower's mechanical arms, Drive Tesla reports. The booster has been caught several times, starting with Flight 5 in October 2024, but the ship has never been caught. Recovering both from one flight would be a first for an orbital launch vehicle.
SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said the company expected the Flight 15 license to cover return-to-launch-site tower catches for both stages, according to Drive Tesla and Interesting Engineering. NASASpaceflight reports that Booster 22 and Ship 42 are in final checkouts for a no-earlier-than November 13 launch, with the flight awaiting FAA approval.
Building on Flight 14
Flight 14, flown in late September, put Starship into orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. On October 25, Booster 22 completed a full-duration static fire with all 33 Raptor engines running for about 15 seconds, Interesting Engineering reports.
SpaceX has not posted an official launch time or mission page for Flight 15, and the target date could move with testing, vehicle readiness and regulatory approval.
Sources
- Starship Flight 15, a dual catch attempt, awaits FAA green light ↗ · NASASpaceflight
- SpaceX targets Nov 13 for Starship Flight 15 and first Ship catch ↗ · Drive Tesla
- Starship Flight 15: Launch date, recovery goals, and key tests ↗ · Interesting Engineering
- Eric Berger on the Flight 15 target date ↗ · Eric Berger on X
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