SpaceX is targeting Friday 13 November 2026 for the 15th test flight of Starship, the largest rocket ever built, in a mission that will attempt something never done before in spaceflight: catching both stages of an orbital-class rocket back at the launch site. The 407-foot (124-metre) vehicle is scheduled to lift off from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas at 4:45 p.m. local time (22:45 GMT), carrying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit.
Quick Reference Summary
| Flight | Starship Flight 15 — 15th integrated test flight since 2023 |
| Launch window | Friday 13 November 2026, 4:45 p.m. CT (22:45 GMT), 75 minutes |
| Launch site | Starbase, South Texas |
| Vehicle | Starship (Ship 42) on Super Heavy Booster 22; 407 ft (124 m) tall |
| Payload | 26 Starlink V3 communications satellites |
| Mission length | More than 22 hours; about 14 orbits of Earth |
| Booster catch | About 6 minutes 35 seconds after liftoff, at Pad 2 |
| Ship catch | Saturday 14 November, about 2:45 p.m. CT (20:45 GMT), at the same pad |
| Altitude | About 170 miles (275 km) |
| Licence status | US Federal Aviation Administration launch licence not yet issued as of Friday morning |
| How to watch | Live webcast on SpaceX’s website and on X, starting about 30 minutes before liftoff |
Why Flight 15 Is the Boldest Starship Test Yet
SpaceX has flown Starship 14 times since the programme’s first full-stack launch in April 2023, and it has already caught the Super Heavy booster with the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms, nicknamed chopsticks, on earlier flights. What Flight 15 adds is the second half of the puzzle: bringing the Ship upper stage itself back over land and catching it at the same pad, rather than discarding it in the ocean. The manoeuvre is the key test of Elon Musk’s plan for a fully reusable rocket system, in which both stages return, are refuelled and fly again with minimal refurbishment.
The flight is also only the second Starship mission to reach orbit and the second to carry a batch of operational Starlink satellites. Its predecessor, flown in September 2026, took the rocket and its satellites to orbit for the first time, despite some engines shutting down mid-flight. Flight 15 builds directly on that result, carrying 26 Starlink V3 satellites that will operate closer to Earth than earlier versions and serve customers in the company’s internet constellation.
How the Double Catch Is Supposed to Work
Minutes after liftoff, the two stages will separate. The Super Heavy booster, designated Booster 22, will turn back towards Starbase, reignite its engines for a landing burn and be caught by the tower’s arms at Pad 2, about six and a half minutes after launch. The landing burn is expected to start on 13 engines, step down to five and then three, with the catch at around six minutes 35 seconds.
Ship 42, the upper stage, will then climb to orbit, deploy its 26 Starlink V3 satellites and coast for most of a day, completing roughly 14 orbits. About 22 hours after liftoff, it will return over land towards Starbase for its own catch attempt at the same pad on Saturday afternoon. SpaceX has said it will attempt the higher-risk Ship catch only if the vehicle passes safety checks after launch, and only if telemetry, imagery, weather and regulatory clearances indicate it is safe to do so.
What Starship Will Carry and Where It Will Go
The 26 Starlink V3 satellites aboard Flight 15 are the newest generation of SpaceX’s communications spacecraft. Once released, Ship 42 will orbit at an altitude of about 170 miles (275 kilometres) for more than 22 hours, making the mission Starship’s longest to date if everything goes to plan. The extended coast phase also gives SpaceX hours of live views from the spacecraft as it circles the planet.
Road closures around Starbase are in place for both Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. local time, and navigational warnings list backup launch opportunities from 14 to 20 November in the same daily time slot. A launch late in Friday’s 75-minute window could produce a visible “jellyfish” effect from the exhaust plume, as sunset at Starbase falls at about 5:42 p.m. local time.
The Licence Question Hanging Over the Launch
One uncertainty remained on Friday morning: SpaceX had not yet received its launch licence from the US Federal Aviation Administration. The regulator had not published an updated licence for the flight at the time of reporting, and SpaceX was still working towards a Friday launch. The company has flown before under tight regulatory timing, but any delay to the licence would push the mission to one of its backup dates.
The stakes are high for the wider programme. Starship is the vehicle SpaceX is developing to be a fully reusable transportation system, and it is central to NASA’s Artemis lunar landings, for which a version of Starship is intended to carry astronauts to the Moon’s surface. Musk has said he expects Starship to reach a weekly launch cadence by the first half of 2027, while SpaceX has said it could begin launching the vehicle from a new Florida launchpad by the end of 2026.
How to Watch the Launch Live
SpaceX will stream Flight 15 on its website and on X, with coverage beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff. The company says coverage will continue through the Ship catch and may include hours of live views from Starship as it orbits Earth. The booster catch is expected on Friday evening, while Starship’s return is planned for Saturday afternoon, Texas time.
FAQs
Q: When is SpaceX Starship Flight 15 launching?
A: The launch window opens on Friday 13 November 2026 at 4:45 p.m. CT (22:45 GMT) from Starbase in South Texas, with a 75-minute window. The flight is pending a launch licence from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Q: What is the double catch SpaceX is attempting?
A: SpaceX plans to catch both stages of the rocket at the launch site: the Super Heavy booster about six and a half minutes after liftoff, and the Ship upper stage about 22 hours later, after it completes roughly 14 orbits. No orbital-class rocket has had both stages recovered on the same flight before.
Q: How many satellites is Flight 15 carrying?
A: Starship will deploy 26 Starlink V3 communications satellites, the newest generation of SpaceX’s internet constellation, into orbit at an altitude of about 170 miles (275 kilometres).
Q: What happens if the launch is delayed?
A: Navigational warnings list backup launch opportunities from 14 to 20 November in the same daily time slot, and road closures are in place for both 13 and 14 November.
Q: Why does the Ship catch matter for future missions?
A: Recovering the upper stage is the final step towards a fully reusable Starship, which would lower the cost of each flight and enable more frequent launches, including NASA’s Artemis Moon landings and eventual crewed trips to Mars.
