Starship Flight 15 Targets First-Ever Double Catch on Nov. 13
By @sharedot · · 7 pages
- Space
- Starship
- Spacex
SpaceX is targeting Nov. 13 for Starship Flight 15, the first mission aiming to catch both Super Heavy and the Starship upper stage back at Starbase.
What SpaceX Is Planning
SpaceX has officially confirmed it is targeting Friday, November 13 for the 15th test flight of Starship, pending regulatory approval. According to KRGV, the 75-minute launch window opens at 4:45 p.m. at Starbase, Texas.
What makes Flight 15 different from every mission before it is the objective: SpaceX plans to return both stages — the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage — to the launch site for a tower catch. If it works, SpaceX says it would mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system.
Why a Double Catch Would Be Historic
SpaceX has caught Super Heavy boosters three times before — Flights 5, 7, and 8, beginning with the first-ever catch on October 13, 2024 — but it has never attempted to catch the Starship upper stage with the launch tower's Chopstick arms.
Per Tesla Oracle, the upper-stage catch was planned for Flight 14 but was dropped in favor of making that mission the first orbital flight.
The Timeline: Two Catches, One Mission
The two recoveries happen on very different clocks. According to KRGV, Super Heavy may attempt its return to the pad at Starbase about six to eight minutes after liftoff, while SpaceX plans to bring the Starship upper stage back for its catch roughly 22 hours after launch.
Both catches depend on strict conditions being met. KRGV also reports residents of Cameron County and nearby areas may hear one or more sonic booms during both planned returns, which the company says pose no health risk.
The Evidence the Launch Is on Track
Multiple signs point to preparations moving forward. SpaceX confirmed the November 13 target date on X, and Tesla Oracle notes the company completed Flight 15 pre-launch static fire tests and simulations on Starship 42 and Super Heavy in late October.
NOTAM advisories issued around Starbase and Boca Chica list re-entry and splashdown windows beginning November 13, per Tesla Oracle, which also reports backup NOTAM dates for November 14 through 19 in case the FAA license is delayed or weather forces a scrub.
Regulatory Hurdle and What Comes Next
The date is not locked in. Like Flight 14, SpaceX is still waiting on final regulatory approval from the FAA to issue a launch license, and Tesla Oracle reports the date can change if that approval is not issued on time.
Fans are also watching an open question Tesla Oracle raises — whether SpaceX will attempt to re-stack Starship on top of the booster after the catches.