SpaceX targets Nov. 13 for Starship Flight 15 double-catch test
SpaceX plans to launch the 15th Starship test flight on Nov. 13, aiming to recover both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage at its Texas launch site.
SpaceX announced that it will attempt the first simultaneous recovery of its Starship vehicle and Super Heavy booster on Flight 15, scheduled for a 75-minute launch window opening at 5:45 p.m. EST on Friday, Nov. 13. The company said the mission will try to return both stages to the launch mount at Starbase in South Texas, where tower “chopstick” arms would capture them.
Super Heavy is expected to descend and be caught about 6.5 minutes after liftoff, while the Starship upper stage will remain in orbit, completing roughly 14 Earth orbits over a more than 22-hour flight at an altitude of about 275 km. The flight will also deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, part of a planned megaconstellation of around 100,000 spacecraft.
SpaceX noted that the mission includes options to place the vehicle on a safe sub-orbital trajectory or deorbit over predetermined ocean areas if conditions require, meaning the double-catch could be aborted if any issue arises. The launch will be streamed live.