SpaceX Starship Flight 15 reaches orbit; upper stage targets historic landing Saturday

Key points

• SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 on November 13, 2026, from Starbase, Texas, with a 75-minute launch window.
• The Super Heavy Booster 22 aborted its landing attempt and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, likely due to a guidance and navigation issue.
• The upper stage, Ship 42, successfully entered orbit and deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites within the first two hours of the mission.
• SpaceX confirmed the heat shield is in good condition based on data from ground cameras and deployed satellites.
• A landing attempt for the upper stage is scheduled for November 14 at 4:20 p.m. EST, with a final go/no-go decision expected around 2:00 p.m. EST.

Background

This mission follows September’s Flight 14, which was the first time Starship reached orbit. Flight 15 is part of SpaceX’s broader effort to achieve full reusability, a goal emphasized by Elon Musk as a critical milestone for reducing launch costs and enabling future lunar and Mars missions. Previous archive coverage noted that NASA is also evaluating SpaceX’s capabilities for Artemis III lunar lander tests in 2027, making successful reusability demonstrations increasingly important for commercial and government contracts.

How outlets are covering it

Space.com and Ars Technica both highlight the successful orbital insertion and satellite deployment as major milestones. However, they differ in emphasis regarding the booster failure. Space.com focuses on the technical confirmation of the heat shield’s integrity and the upcoming landing decision, while Ars Technica emphasizes the significance of the booster splashdown as a setback for reusability goals, noting that SpaceX has not yet successfully landed a V3 booster. Both outlets agree that the upper stage landing would be historic, but Ars Technica places greater weight on the heat shield’s role in future rapid reusability, whereas Space.com focuses on the immediate operational success of the mission.

Why it matters

A successful landing of the upper stage would mark the first time an orbital rocket has been fully recovered from space, a critical step toward making Starship fully reusable. This could significantly reduce launch costs and accelerate SpaceX’s plans for lunar and Mars missions. Additionally, the successful deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites demonstrates the vehicle’s capability to serve as an operational orbital rocket, strengthening SpaceX’s position in the commercial space market.

What to watch

SpaceX will make a final go/no-go decision for the upper stage landing around 2:00 p.m. EST on November 14. If the vehicle passes health checks, it will attempt to land at Starbase, Texas, at 4:20 p.m. EST. If not, it will be de-orbited into an ocean splashdown off the coast of Hawaii. The outcome will provide critical data on heat shield performance and reusability for future flights.