SpaceX Eyes First Ever Double-Catch for Starship Flight 15
Tower arms could pluck both halves of a forty-story megarocket out of the sky this week. SpaceX is targeting Friday for the fifteenth test flight of its Starship vehicle.
Tower arms could pluck both halves of a forty-story megarocket out of the sky this week. SpaceX is targeting Friday for the fifteenth test flight of its Starship vehicle. The mission attempts a first-ever double catch, returning both the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Ship to the launch mount in South Texas.
SpaceX has caught the booster three times before, but bringing back the upper stage is a taller order. Ship flies higher and travels farther than the booster, making its return to Earth significantly more complex and energetic. If anything is amiss during the flight, SpaceX will call off the attempt and the ship will safely deorbit over the ocean instead.
Our read suggests that mastering this high-energy upper-stage return is the real bottleneck for rapid reusability, turning a stunt into a functioning transport system. Watch to see if the chopstick arms secure both pieces, or if the upper stage heads for the water.
The story so far
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Original publication: 9 November 2026 20:00
