SpaceX conducts 15th Starship test flight, booster splashes down after launch pad capture fails
SpaceX's 15th test of the Super Heavy-Starship system saw the booster miss a planned landing on the launch pad and splash down in the Gulf, while the Starship upper stage reached orbit and deployed a Starlink satellite.
SpaceX launched the Super Heavy-Starship vehicle on Friday for its 15th test flight, aiming to demonstrate full reusability of an orbit-class rocket. The 236-foot first stage lifted off at 5:47 p.m. EST from the Starbase site in Texas, separating from the 171-foot Starship upper stage about two minutes after liftoff.
The booster attempted a return to the launch pad using its Raptor engines, but flight controllers diverted it to a Gulf Coast splashdown after a technical issue was detected. Long-range cameras recorded the booster descending into the water, where residual propellants ignited and produced a fireball.
The Starship continued on a sub-orbital trajectory, performed a brief coast, and then ignited a single Raptor for a ten-second burn that placed it into its planned orbit. Approximately eight and a half minutes later, the vehicle deployed the first of 26 upgraded version-3 Starlink internet satellites.
SpaceX said the mission plan includes multiple contingency splashdown locations in the Pacific and off the coast of Chile, allowing the vehicle to be recovered safely if a pad landing becomes unsafe. The company also outlined re-entry procedures, noting that Starship can adjust its flight path with four control flaps and that flight controllers have options to terminate re-entry early to ensure a controlled breakup over the ocean if necessary.
A final engine burn is scheduled for Saturday to lower Starship’s orbit for a belly-first re-entry and a planned return to the Texas Gulf Coast, where the vehicle will attempt its first landing on the launch pad using the gantry’s mechanical arms. Successful pad capture would enable rapid refurbishment and reuse, a capability SpaceX describes as essential for reducing launch costs.
NASA has selected a variant of Starship for the Artemis program, targeting crewed lunar missions in 2028, though the agency remains open to alternative landers as development timelines shift.