Starship Flight 15 to Attempt First Double Catch

SpaceX has set a 75-minute launch window beginning at 5:45 p.m. Eastern time on November 13 for Flight 15. The launch is subject to regulatory approval and favorable weather. The company plans to bring both parts of the rocket back to its Starbase launch site using the tower’s catching arms—a first for the full system.

Super Heavy is expected to return about six and a half minutes after liftoff. SpaceX has caught the booster on three previous flights, but has not yet attempted to catch Ship, which travels higher and faster and presents a more challenging return.

The company expects Ship to reach an altitude of about 275 kilometers and make roughly 14 circuits of Earth during a flight lasting more than 22 hours. It is also scheduled to release 26 Starlink V3 satellites. On Flight 14, Ship reached orbit for the first time but ended its flight over the Pacific after about two hours.

SpaceX will only try to catch Ship if it can safely deorbit toward one of several planned ocean areas and conditions are suitable. The company may instead end the flight without attempting the catch. A successful recovery of both stages would be a major step toward making the launch system fully reusable.