SpaceX Prepares for Starship Flight 15 with Dual Booster and Ship Catch Attempt
SpaceX is gearing up for Starship Flight 15, scheduled for Friday, November 13, with a 75-minute launch window opening at 5:45 p.m. EST from Starbase, Texas. This mission marks the 15th test flight of the reusable megarocket and its second orbital trip. A primary objective of Flight 15 is to achieve a dual catch: the Super Heavy booster is expected to return to the launch tower approximately six and a half minutes after liftoff to be caught by its chopstick arms. This would be the first such catch for the new V3 booster. Following this, the Starship upper stage, or 'Ship,' will continue to orbit, deploying 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. After approximately 14 orbits over 22 hours, Ship will attempt a landing maneuver over Starbase, aiming to be caught by the tower's arms. This would be the first time SpaceX attempts to catch the Ship stage, a critical step towards full reusability. Contingency plans are in place for Ship to perform a safe deorbit and splashdown in the Pacific if the catch condi...