SpaceX Targets 13 November 2026 for Starship Flight 15 and First Dual Tower-Catch Attempt

SpaceX has set its sights on Friday, 13 November 2026 for the next Starship test flight, with a 75-minute launch window opening at 4.45pm Central Time — that’s 10.45pm for viewers in the UK. The company’s announcement frames the date as a target rather than a confirmed slot, with regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration listed as the principal condition before the mission can proceed.

The planned flight would use Booster 22 and Ship 42, reported to be Block 3 vehicles, launching from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Texas. If it goes ahead as described, Flight 15 would mark the first time SpaceX has attempted to catch the Starship spacecraft itself using the mechanical arms mounted on the launch tower — the same system used to recover the Super Heavy booster on earlier flights.

In its announcement, SpaceX said: “Flight 15 is targeting to launch as early as Friday, November 13, pending regulatory approval.”

What SpaceX Is Actually Planning

The mission profile is ambitious. After launch, Starship looks set to complete around 14 orbits over roughly 21 hours — though that figure comes from mission-profile reporting rather than an independently verified official document. Secondary sources also report a planned deployment of 26 Starlink satellites during the flight, though that too hasn’t been confirmed against an official SpaceX mission manifest.

Meanwhile, the real headline is the landing plan. Both stages — the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft — are intended to return to the launch tower for mechanical-arm catches. The booster catch has been demonstrated on previous flights. The spacecraft catch has not. That’s what makes Flight 15 different.

Starship’s return to the tower isn’t guaranteed even if the flight goes smoothly. Flight controllers would need to confirm that the vehicle, re-entry systems, landing burn, and approach all look healthy before committing to a tower catch. Contingency landing options exist for both stages if anything looks off.

The Regulatory Hurdle

The FAA’s sign-off is the central variable here. The proposed flight profile includes Starship returning over populated areas on its way back to Starbase, which requires a licence modification that the agency has not yet publicly confirmed for Flight 15.

Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX, has described “significant constructive engagement with the FAA,” and separately confirmed the plan “to include return to launch site and tower catch for both stages.” But constructive engagement isn’t the same as a granted licence, and SpaceX has been careful to frame the November date as conditional throughout.

The FAA’s published licensing position for Flight 15 couldn’t be independently verified at the time of writing.

How It Fits Into the Starship Programme

Starship is SpaceX’s fully reusable launch system — the largest rocket ever flown. The design pairs the Super Heavy booster with the upper-stage Starship spacecraft, both intended to be recovered and reflown rather than discarded after each mission.

Earlier test flights demonstrated controlled atmospheric re-entry and booster recovery. Each successive flight has pushed further into the reusability envelope. A successful dual catch on Flight 15 would show that both stages of the world’s most powerful rocket can be recovered at the launch site in a single mission. That’s the stated goal of the programme: rapid turnaround, lower cost per launch, more frequent flights.

Whether it works is another matter. The spacecraft catch is technically complex. Re-entry heating, guidance precision, and the approach profile all have to come together before the tower arms can close. SpaceX has contingency plans, but a missed catch or a scrubbed date remains entirely possible.

And the date itself is not locked in. SpaceX has moved Starship launch targets before, sometimes by weeks, sometimes longer. The 13 November window should be treated as a planning target, not a firm commitment.

A Potential Milestone for Commercial Spaceflight

If both catches succeed, it would represent the first time a fully reusable two-stage orbital rocket has been recovered at its launch site in a single flight. That’s a milestone the broader spaceflight industry has been watching for, given the consequences for launch costs and turnaround times for future commercial and government missions.

The stakes are high enough that SpaceX is being measured in how it’s framing the attempt. The language of “targeting” and “pending regulatory approval” runs through every official statement — which is probably the right level of caution given what’s being attempted.

What This Means for Kent Residents

There’s no direct impact on Kent from this launch — it’s taking place in Texas, and no Kent public bodies or businesses are involved. For residents who want to follow it, the 10.45pm UK launch window opening means it’s a late-night watch, and major space and technology broadcasters are expected to carry live coverage if the flight goes ahead. The broader story matters to UK consumers as Starship’s eventual success or failure will shape the cost and availability of satellite internet services, including Starlink, which is already used by some households across Kent.