Launch3 sources

SpaceX's Starship set for return to Earth after booster catch aborted

The Brief · written from 3 sources

SpaceX launched Starship on its 15th test flight from Starbase in South Texas on Friday, November 13, 2026.
The booster fell into the Gulf of Mexico and exploded during an attempt to catch it at the launch pad, so the planned double catch did not happen.
The Starship upper stage reached orbit and was reported as healthy, with a planned return to the Texas launch site on Saturday for a first-ever attempt to catch it with the chopsticks arms.

Why it matters

The flight tests whether Starship can be recovered and reused, which matters for the cost and cadence of heavy-lift launches. The booster loss shows the catch system is not yet reliable.

Who’s affected

space engineers and launch-industry professionals
astronomers and space scientists who depend on launch schedules and reusable heavy-lift vehicles

Starship Flight 15
#starship
#spacex
#reusable-rockets
#orbital-launch
#booster-recovery

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft was "healthy" as it orbited the Earth and on track to return Saturday to its Texas launch site, where Elon Musk's company was planning to "catch" the vehicle for the first time.

Read the full story at phys.org ↗