SpaceX Starship Flight 15 lifted off on November 13, 2026 at 22:47 UTC, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, and on November 14 at about 21:20 UTC became the first mission to catch a Starship upper stage at the launch tower after 14 orbits and about 22.5 hours in space. Booster 22 aborted its own catch and was lost offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, so Flight 15 completed one of its two catch goals.
SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Statistics 2026 – Introduction
SpaceX Starship Flight 15 is the 15th launch of the world’s largest rocket and the first time any company has caught the upper stage of an orbital rocket. Ship 42 flew 14 orbits, returned to Starbase, Texas, and settled into the launch tower’s arms on Saturday, November 14, 2026, about 22.5 hours after it left the pad. The flight also put 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit.
The result was mixed on the booster side. Booster 22 aborted its planned tower catch and fell into the Gulf of Mexico, after SpaceX had caught three earlier boosters. This report covers the launch numbers, a scorecard of the mission goals, the timeline, the ship catch, the booster loss, the satellite deployment, the flight history and the hardware. Figures run through November 14, 2026, and SpaceX has not yet published a full post-flight review.
Interesting Facts about SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Statistics 2026
STARSHIP FLIGHT 15 KEY NUMBERS
Starlink V3 satellites deployed | ██████████████████████████ 26
Orbits flown by Ship 42 | ██████████████ 14
Mission length (hours) | ██████████████████████ 22.5
Booster catches before Flight 15 | ███ 3
Starship upper stages caught | █ 1 (Ship 42)
| Fact | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Flight number | 15th Starship launch; second operational flight |
| Liftoff | November 13, 2026, 22:47 UTC (5:47 p.m. ET) |
| Launch site | Orbital Launch Pad 2, Starbase, Texas |
| Vehicles | Booster 22 and Ship 42 (Block 3, V3) |
| Starlink V3 satellites deployed | 26, complete by 1 hour 17 minutes |
| Ship catch | November 14, about 21:20 UTC (4:20 p.m. ET) |
| Time from liftoff to ship catch | About 22.5 hours |
| Orbits flown | 14 |
| Booster 22 outcome | Catch aborted; lost offshore in the Gulf of Mexico |
| SpaceX livestream length | About 23 hours |
Source: SpaceX statements via Space.com, KeepTrack and SpacePolicyOnline; Starlust; Next Spaceflight; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15, November 13-14, 2026.
The ship catch is the headline number. Ship 42 came down into the tower’s arms at about 21:20 UTC on November 14, which is 4:20 p.m. ET, about 22.5 hours after liftoff. SpaceX reported the catch at 21:21 UTC. SpaceX’s communications manager Dan Huot closed the roughly 23-hour livestream by saying the company had caught a Starship and that “now everything changes.”
The booster did not follow. Booster 22 aborted its catch after a guidance problem and was lost offshore. SpaceX has caught a Super Heavy booster three times, on Flights 5, 7 and 8, so the booster catch is no longer new. The ship catch is, because Ship 42 is the first upper stage returned to its launch site from orbit.
Starship Flight 15 Mission Scorecard 2026: Goals Met and Missed
FLIGHT 15 OBJECTIVES (1 = met, 0 = not met)
Reach orbit | █ 1
Deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites | █ 1
Image the heat shield from orbit | █ 1
Catch Ship 42 at the tower | █ 1
Catch Booster 22 at the tower | 0
| Objective | Result |
|---|---|
| Reach orbit with Ship 42 | Met; ship flew 14 orbits |
| Deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites | Met; all 26 out by 1 hour 17 minutes |
| Image the heat shield | Met; 3 of the 26 satellites carried cameras |
| Return the ship to Starbase | Met; caught at about 21:20 UTC on November 14 |
| Catch Booster 22 at the tower | Not met; guidance abort, lost offshore |
| Core objectives met | 4 of 5 |
| Longest Starship flight to date | About 22.5 hours |
| Previous orbital flight | Flight 14, September 28, 2026 |
Source: SpaceX statements via Space.com, KeepTrack and SpacePolicyOnline; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15, November 14, 2026. Counting of objectives is ours.
Flight 15 met four of its five headline goals by our count. The ship reached orbit, deployed all 26 satellites, imaged its own heat shield and returned to the tower. The booster goal was the only miss. Three of the 26 Starlink V3 satellites carried cameras to photograph Ship 42’s heat shield, and the images helped SpaceX confirm the shield was in good shape before reentry.
The scorecard is our own summary, not a SpaceX grade. Only one previous Starship flight, Flight 14 on September 28, had reached orbit, and that mission ended early after an engine shutdown. Flight 15 went the full distance, about 22.5 hours, and ended with a landing no rocket had tried before. SpaceX said it would review the booster abort, and a guidance and navigation control problem is the likely cause.
Starship Flight 15 Launch Statistics 2026: Date, Time and Launch Pad
LAUNCH TIME PLANNED VS ACTUAL (UTC)
Original target | ██████████████████████ 22:45
Revised target | ███████████████████████ 22:47
Actual liftoff | ███████████████████████ 22:47
Launch window | ███████████████████████████████████████ 75 minutes
| Launch Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Original target time | 22:45 UTC (4:45 p.m. CST) |
| Revised target time | 22:47 UTC, two minutes later |
| Actual liftoff | 22:47 UTC on November 13, 2026 |
| Launch window | 75 minutes |
| FAA launch license | Issued the afternoon of November 13 |
| Scope of license | Launch and return of both stages |
| Nationwide FAA ground stop | Occurred hours before launch; launch stayed on track |
| Propellant | About 12 million pounds |
Source: Space.com live updates, November 13-14, 2026; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15; Next Spaceflight.
Liftoff came within about two minutes of the target. SpaceX opened a 75-minute window at 22:45 UTC and moved liftoff to 22:47 UTC. The FAA license arrived the afternoon of November 13, late for a mission of this size, and it covered the return of both stages. A rare nationwide FAA ground stop affected aircraft that day, but SpaceX said its launch was still on track.
Fueling began about 45 minutes before launch with roughly 12 million pounds of liquid oxygen and liquid methane across both stages. SpaceX reported no technical, range or weather issues, and the launch happened on the first attempt. Backup days on November 14 and 15 were not needed.
Starship Flight 15 Timeline 2026: Liftoff to Starlink Deployment
MISSION ELAPSED TIME OF KEY EVENTS (minutes after liftoff)
Stage separation (hot staging) | ██ 2
Booster abort and splashdown | ██████ 6
Ship engine cutoff | ████████ 8
Orbital insertion burn | █████████████████████ 26
Deployment starts | ████████████████████████████ 35-45
All 26 Starlinks deployed | █████████████████████████████████████████████████ 77
| Event | Time After Liftoff | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Liftoff | 0:00 | Success |
| Max Q | About 1 minute | Success |
| Stage separation and hot staging | About 2 minutes | Success; one booster engine may have shut down |
| Booster return burn | About 2 to 6 minutes | Catch aborted; booster lost offshore |
| Ship engine cutoff (6 Raptors) | About 8 minutes | Ascent complete |
| Orbital insertion burn | About 26 minutes | Nominal |
| Starlink deployment begins | About 35 to 45 minutes | Under way |
| 12 of 26 satellites out | About 1 hour | Success |
| All 26 Starlinks deployed | 1 hour 17 minutes | Success |
| First early-return option (Hawaii) | About 1 hour 28 minutes | Skipped |
Source: Space.com live updates; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15 planned timeline; SpaceX statements via spokesman Dan Huot.
The ascent went almost to plan. The booster separated and began its return, and one of its 33 engines may have dropped out before the 13-engine boostback burn. The ship continued on all six Raptor engines and finished its ascent burn at about 8 minutes. Its insertion burn followed at about 26 minutes and lasted about 20 seconds, which put it in orbit.
Deployment started about 35 to 45 minutes after liftoff and finished by 1 hour 17 minutes. SpaceX commentators said it takes about 40 minutes to release the satellites. Controllers skipped the first early-return option, at about 90 minutes, and kept the ship in orbit for the full 14-orbit plan, the longest Starship mission yet.
First Starship Ship Catch 2026: How Ship 42 Landed at the Tower
SHIP 42 RETURN SEQUENCE (hours after liftoff)
Deorbit burn | ██████████████████████ 21.6
Atmospheric entry | ██████████████████████ 22.2
Landing flip | ███████████████████████ 22.5
Catch | ███████████████████████ 22.5
| Return Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Final go decision | About 20 hours into the flight, around 19:00 UTC |
| Deorbit burn | One Raptor relit about 21.6 hours after liftoff |
| Reentry | Slowed from hypersonic through transonic and subsonic flight |
| Landing flip and burn | Three Raptors lit; ship swung from horizontal to vertical |
| Catch time | About 21:20 UTC (4:20 p.m. ET), reported at 21:21 UTC |
| Contact points | Two nubs on the ship, each sticking out about one foot |
| Time from cloud break to catch | Less than a minute |
| Practice | Several practice descents into the Indian Ocean before the attempt |
| Pre-flight odds (Elon Musk, September) | At least 50 to 60 percent |
Source: Ars Technica reporting as summarized by KeepTrack; Space.com; Starlust; SpacePolicyOnline; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15, November 14, 2026.
Ship 42’s return took less than a minute from the first sight of the vehicle to the catch. It came out of the clouds flying horizontally, lit three Raptor engines and swung vertical just before the tower. The tower’s arms had only two small nubs to grab, one on each side of the ship and each about one foot long. The catch happened about 22.5 hours after liftoff.
SpaceX had practiced the descent several times over the Indian Ocean before trying a tower catch. Musk had said in September that a first-try ship catch had at least a 50 to 60 percent chance of success. Pad and tower systems were declared go on the morning of November 14. The catch is the first time any company has returned the upper stage of an orbital rocket to its launch site and caught it.
Booster 22 Super Heavy Recovery 2026: The Aborted Catch
SUPER HEAVY BOOSTER CATCHES BY FLIGHT
Flight 5 | ██████████ caught
Flight 7 | ██████████ caught
Flight 8 | ██████████ caught
Flight 15 | aborted, lost offshore
| Booster Detail | Data |
|---|---|
| Booster | Booster 22, the first V3 booster planned for a return catch |
| Planned outcome | Tower catch at Orbital Launch Pad 2 about 6.5 minutes after launch |
| Actual outcome | Aborted catch; lost offshore in the Gulf of Mexico |
| Likely cause (SpaceX) | Guidance and navigation control problem, under review |
| Previous catches | Flights 5, 7 and 8 |
| Engines | 33 Raptors; one may have dropped out early |
| Final catch test | November 10, including a suspended squeeze test at catch height |
| Static fire | October 25, 2026 |
Source: Space.com live updates; KeepTrack; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15; The Week; SpaceX statements, November 2026.
SpaceX planned to catch Booster 22 in the tower’s arms about 6.5 minutes after liftoff, which would have been the first catch of a Block 3 booster and the first at Pad 2. The booster aborted instead and fell into the Gulf of Mexico, the planned fallback, where KeepTrack says it was lost. SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said a guidance and navigation control problem was the likely cause.
The abort does not undo earlier booster results. SpaceX caught Super Heavy boosters on Flights 5, 7 and 8, so Flight 15’s miss was the first attempt with the newest version. Booster 22 passed a squeeze test at catch height on November 10. No date for another V3 booster catch had been announced in the coverage reviewed.
Starlink V3 Deployment on Starship Flight 15 2026: 26 Satellites
STARLINK V3 SATELLITES DEPLOYED (cumulative)
After about 46 minutes | ███ 3
After about 1 hour | ████████████ 12
After 1 hr 17 min | ██████████████████████████ 26
| Deployment Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Satellites carried | 26 Starlink V3 |
| Deployment started | About 35 to 45 minutes after liftoff |
| First checkpoint | 3 deployed |
| Second checkpoint | 12 deployed at about 1 hour |
| Deployment complete | 1 hour 17 minutes |
| Deployment duration | About 40 minutes, per SpaceX |
| Satellites with cameras | 3, aimed at the ship’s heat shield |
| Satellites on Flight 14 | 26 Starlink V3 |
Source: Space.com live updates, November 13-14, 2026; KeepTrack; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15; SpaceX statements.
Ship 42 carried 26 Starlink V3 satellites, the same number deployed on Flight 14 in September. About 12 were out by one hour after liftoff, and the full set was out by 1 hour 17 minutes. The satellites left the ship’s payload bay one at a time. SpaceX said the process takes about 40 minutes.
Three of the 26 satellites carried cameras. The ship rotated slowly during deployment so those cameras could capture its heat shield, and SpaceX used that footage with ground cameras to confirm the shield was in good shape. That check mattered for a mission built around landing the ship at the tower.
Ship 42 Orbital Flight Statistics 2026: 14 Orbits in 22.5 Hours
SHIP 42 FLIGHT PROFILE (hours after liftoff)
First early-return check (Hawaii) | █ 1.5
Second check (Chile) | ███████ 7.3
Final go decision | ████████████████████ 20
Deorbit burn | █████████████████████ 21.6
Catch | ██████████████████████ 22.5
| Ship Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Orbit altitude | About 275 km planned; 260 km while coasting |
| Orbital speed | About 26,442 km/h |
| Orbits flown | 14 |
| Flight length | About 22.5 hours |
| Early-return options | 3 (Hawaii at 1.5 hours, Chile at 7.3 hours, Hawaii at 20.7 hours) |
| Options used | None; controllers continued each time |
| Deorbit burn | About 21.6 hours after liftoff |
| Flight 14 comparison | Reached orbit; shortened by an engine shutdown; Pacific splashdown |
Source: Space.com live updates; Wikipedia, Starship flight 15 planned timeline; KeepTrack; SpaceX statements via Dan Huot.
Ship 42 flew the longest Starship mission yet. It stayed healthy past the point where Flight 14 had to end early. Flight 14, on September 28, was the first orbital Starship flight, but one of the ship’s three vacuum Raptor engines shut down early, so SpaceX shortened the mission and splashed the ship down in the Pacific.
Flight controllers made go decisions to continue at 1.5, 7 and 20 hours, which kept the ship on the path to a tower catch. The deorbit burn came about 21.6 hours after liftoff, and the ship returned through the atmosphere to Starbase. The full flight covered 14 orbits and about 22.5 hours.
Starship Flight History 2026: From Flight 5 to Flight 15
STARSHIP LAUNCHES AND CATCH RESULTS
Flight 5 (Oct 2024) | █ first booster catch
Flight 7 (Jan 2025) | █ booster caught, ship lost
Flight 8 (Mar 2025) | █ booster caught, ship lost
Flight 14 (Sep 2026) | █ first orbital flight, 26 Starlinks
Flight 15 (Nov 2026) | █ first ship catch, booster lost
| Flight | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Flight 5 | October 13, 2024 | First Super Heavy booster catch (Booster 12) |
| Flight 6 | November 19, 2024 | Booster catch called off after loss of tower communication |
| Flight 7 | January 16, 2025 | Booster 14 caught; ship lost to a propellant leak |
| Flight 8 | March 6, 2025 | Booster 15 caught; ship lost after engine shutdowns |
| Flight 14 | September 28, 2026 | First orbital flight; 26 Starlink V3 satellites deployed; Pacific splashdown |
| Flight 15 | November 13-14, 2026 | Ship 42 caught after 14 orbits; 26 Starlinks deployed; booster lost |
Source: Wikipedia flight test pages for Flights 5, 6, 7 and 8; Space.com; SpacePolicyOnline, 2024-2026. Flights 9 to 13 are not listed here.
Starship’s catch approach developed in stages. Flight 5 caught a booster for the first time, on October 13, 2024. Flight 6 called off the catch when communication with the tower was lost. Flights 7 and 8 caught boosters again but lost their ships, one to a propellant leak and one after engine shutdowns. Flight 14 reached orbit and deployed 26 satellites.
Flight 15 reversed the pattern. The ship, not the booster, was the recovered stage. That makes four Starship stage catches in all: three boosters and one ship. The listed rows skip Flights 9 to 13, which this report did not verify. Flight 15 is described as the second operational mission of the system.
Block 3 Starship V3 Hardware 2026: What Flew on Flight 15
FLIGHT 15 VEHICLE FACTS
Booster engines (Raptors) | █████████████████████████████████ 33
Ship engines (Raptors) | ██████ 6
Block 3 pairs flown | ████ 4
| Hardware Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Vehicle generation | Block 3 (V3), the fourth pair to fly |
| Booster | Booster 22; first V3 booster planned for a return catch |
| Ship | Ship 42; first V3 ship caught |
| Booster engines | 33 Raptors |
| Ship engines | 6 Raptors (3 sea-level, 3 vacuum) |
| Booster 22 static fire | October 25, 2026 |
| Ship 42 catch fit tests | September 11 and 12, 2026 |
| Special markings | “Don’t Panic” message; a tile installed by MrBeast |
Source: Wikipedia, Starship flight 15; Space.com live updates; SpaceX statements, 2026.
Flight 15 used the fourth pair of Block 3 vehicles. Booster 22 has 33 Raptor engines and Ship 42 has six. In September, Ship 42 was lifted by the tower’s arms in a simulated post-catch position and tested against the ship quick-disconnect arm. Booster 22 fired its engines in a static fire on October 25.
The vehicles carried extra touches. Ship 42 had a “Don’t Panic” message on its side, a reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and SpaceX flew a heat shield tile that YouTube creator MrBeast installed. Neither affects performance. The Block 3 design is meant to be fully reusable, and the ship catch is the recovery step that reuse of the upper stage depends on.
Starship Flight 15 Preparations and Approvals 2026: Dates From October to Catch
DAYS BEFORE LAUNCH (November 13)
SpaceX announces double-catch plan (Oct 21) | ████████████████████████ 23
Booster 22 static fire (Oct 25) | ███████████████████ 19
SpaceX releases flight details (Nov 7) | ██████ 6
Booster 22 to pad, squeeze test (Nov 10) | ███ 3
Ship 42 rolled out (Nov 12) | █ 1
| Date | Preparation Step |
|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | SpaceX announces a simultaneous booster and ship catch attempt |
| October 25, 2026 | Booster 22 static fire |
| November 7, 2026 | SpaceX releases flight details and targets November 13 |
| November 10, 2026 | Booster 22 moves to the pad for final catch testing |
| November 12, 2026 | Ship 42 rolled out to the launch site |
| November 13, 2026 (afternoon) | FAA issues the launch license, including return of both stages |
| November 13, 2026, 22:47 UTC | Liftoff |
| November 14, 2026, about 21:20 UTC | Ship 42 caught |
Source: Wikipedia, Starship flight 15; Space.com live updates and reporting, October-November 2026.
SpaceX announced the double-catch plan on October 21, 23 days before the launch, and released flight details on November 7. Booster 22 went to the pad on November 10 for final catch testing, and Ship 42 followed on November 12. The FAA license arrived on the afternoon of November 13, only hours before liftoff.
The gap between flights is a measure of cadence. Flight 14 flew on September 28, and Flight 15 flew about 46 days later.
SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Statistics 2026 FAQ
When did Starship Flight 15 launch?
On November 13, 2026 at 22:47 UTC (5:47 p.m. ET) from Starbase, Texas.
Was a Starship upper stage caught on Flight 15?
Yes. The tower caught Ship 42 at about 21:20 UTC on November 14, the first upper-stage catch in history.
How long was Starship Flight 15?
About 22.5 hours, with 14 orbits.
Did Starship Flight 15 deploy its Starlink satellites?
Yes. All 26 Starlink V3 satellites were deployed by 1 hour 17 minutes after liftoff.
Was the Super Heavy booster caught on Flight 15?
No. Booster 22 aborted its catch and was lost offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Why did the booster abort its catch?
SpaceX said a guidance and navigation control problem was the likely cause. A review is under way.
How many times has a Super Heavy booster been caught?
Three times, on Flights 5, 7 and 8.
How did the ship catch work?
Ship 42 fired one Raptor to deorbit, then three Raptors to flip and slow down. The tower’s arms grabbed two small nubs on the ship.
How long did the ship catch take once the ship was in view?
Less than a minute from the ship breaking through the clouds to the catch.
What did Elon Musk say about the odds?
In September he said a first-try ship catch had at least a 50 to 60 percent chance of success.
What happened on Starship Flight 14?
Flight 14 on September 28, 2026 was the first orbital flight. It deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, then ended early after an engine shutdown.
How many Starlink satellites carried cameras on Starship Flight 15?
Three of the 26 satellites, about 12%, carried cameras to photograph Ship 42’s heat shield tiles.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
