By The Star Queen · Star Queen Chronicles
Friends, remember when I said I’d call the Flight 15 plan confirmed once SpaceX published the mission page? That page is up. 🚀
SpaceX now says Starship Flight 15 is preparing to launch as soon as Friday, November 13, pending regulatory approval. The 75-minute window runs from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. ET. SpaceNews reported the November 13 target on November 7. SpaceX also notes that launch schedules are dynamic and likely to change, so this is a target, not a promise.
From Unofficial Slides to a Real Mission Page
Until now, the calendar clues were unofficial FAA airspace slides — first around November 8, then no earlier than November 12. I labeled those as unofficial because they were planning data, not a SpaceX announcement.
This time the date comes from SpaceX. The same page spells out the planned dual-catch attempt. Flight 15 is planned to be the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch. If it works, SpaceX says that would mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system.
Catching the upper stage as well as the booster makes this an especially ambitious test. 🚀
What Each Half Has to Do
The Super Heavy booster’s main job is a clean launch, hot-staging, a boostback burn, and a return to the tower for catch about six and a half minutes after liftoff. SpaceX says this will be the first catch attempt for a Super Heavy V3 booster. Three earlier V1 boosters were successfully caught, and two of those later flew again.
The ship’s job is bigger and longer. After reaching space, it is supposed to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, then spend more than 22 hours in orbit — about 14 trips around Earth at roughly 275 kilometers, or about 171 miles — before a deorbit burn and its own catch attempt, a little more than 22 and a half hours after liftoff.
SpaceX says each Starlink V3 satellite is meant to add 1 terabit of capacity, and that this single shipful is roughly equal to 10 Falcon 9 launches of Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Three of those satellites carry cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and send the images home, one of several checks before any decision to bring the ship back to the tower.
That last part matters. SpaceX says the ship will attempt a return to the launch site only if the flight team is confident the systems needed for reentry, the landing burn, and the tower approach are healthy. The profile also leaves room to stay on a passively safe path or deorbit over planned ocean areas if needed.
How to Watch
SpaceX plans a live webcast about 30 minutes before liftoff, with coverage through the ship catch and the chance of hours of live views from Starship as it orbits, powered by Starlink.
I visited Starbase and recommend going if you can. Here on the Space Coast, I have watched launches from my yard and from bridges, and when I watch a launch, I keep watching until the booster lands. This South Texas flight is not something I can see from my Florida yard; SpaceX’s webcast is the way to follow the attempt remotely.
Booster 22 and Ship 42 already passed their static fires. The new mission page does not name the vehicles, so I am not treating those numbers as something SpaceX just restated. What it does give us is the date, the window, and the plan.
Regulatory approval is still pending, and the schedule can change. Check SpaceX’s mission page for the latest before making viewing plans. Fingers crossed for a double catch, friends. 💫
Featured image: File photo: Starship and its launch tower at Starbase during my May 26, 2025 visit, before Flight 9. Photo: The Star Queen. Earlier visit; not the Flight 15 stack.
Sources
- SpaceX: Starship Flight 15 mission page — official target of November 13, 2026, 5:45–7:00 p.m. ET, pending regulatory approval; dual-catch plan; Super Heavy V3 first catch attempt; 26 Starlink V3 satellites; roughly 275 km orbit, about 14 orbits, more than 22-hour flight.
- SpaceNews: SpaceX sets Nov. 13 date for Starship launch and catch — November 7, 2026. The freely available lede confirms the November 13 target and the plan to catch both stages.
- Next Spaceflight: Starship Flight 15 — independently lists the November 13 window and summarizes the same dual-catch and Starlink V3 objectives.
- Related on this site: All 33 Engines Lit! Booster 22 Aces Its Static Fire Ahead of Starship Flight 15
- Related on this site: Ship 42 Lights All Six! Starship Flight 15’s Upper Stage Passes Its Static Fire