SpaceX Targets Starship Ship Catch at Starbase After Flight 15 Launch

SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Starbase in South Texas on Nov. 13, 2026. The mission plan called for the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage to return to the launch site for attempted catches by the tower arms. SpaceX said a guidance and navigation issue during the booster’s descent triggered an automatic abort, and the company sent the booster to a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico about 6.5 minutes after launch.

Key details

• SpaceX planned to attempt a Ship catch at Starbase on Nov. 14 at about 4:20 p.m. Eastern Time. The company could cancel the attempt if it detected an off-nominal condition.
• Controllers chose not to use a second opportunity to end the flight with a splashdown off Chile, keeping Ship in space for the planned return attempt.
• SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said the company’s review of ground-camera and satellite-camera imagery indicated that Ship’s heat shield was in suitable condition for reentry and a return to the launch site.
• Flight 15 deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites in low Earth orbit, according to reporting in the cited source. Flight 14, launched Sept. 28, also carried 26, bringing the two missions’ reported total to 52.

Flight 15 carried 26 Starlink V3 satellites into low Earth orbit.

Why it matters

A successful Ship catch would return the upper stage to Starbase, advancing SpaceX’s effort to recover both Starship stages at the launch site. Huot said the decision to keep Ship in space brought the company closer to returning it there.