Starship Flight 15

SpaceX ^ | November 13, 2026

[SunkenCiv]

Flight 15 of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Friday, November 13, pending regulatory approval. The 75-minute launch window will open at 4:45 p.m. CT.

A live webcast of the flight will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. Coverage is planned to continue through ship catch, with the potential for hours of live views from Starship as it orbits Earth, powered by Starlink. As is the case with all launches, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates.

The upcoming flight is planned to be the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch. If successful, this will mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system and a breakthrough moment in making Starship a reliable, rapidly reusable rocket.

Starship's initial return to launch site mission is expected to orbit the Earth at an altitude of ~275 km and complete approximately 14 orbits around the planet over the course of a more than 22-hour flight. Similar to Starship’s first orbital mission, the flight profile has been designed with the opportunity to insert into a passively safe suborbital trajectory or safely deorbit at multiple pre-determined areas over the ocean after raising to an orbital altitude. Read more about the testing, mission design, and safety measures for first planned Starship catch.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: elonmusk; nasa; spacex; starship

[SunkenCiv]

All Times Approximate

Hr/Min/Sec -- Event
00:50:00 -- SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load
00:35:33 -- Booster LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway
00:35:30 -- Booster fuel (liquid methane) load underway
00:35:12 -- Ship LOX load underway
00:35:11 -- Ship fuel load underway
00:21:40 -- Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship
00:02:50 -- Booster propellant load complete
00:02:10 -- Ship propellant load complete
00:00:30 -- SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch
00:00:17 -- Flame diverter activation
00:00:03 -- Booster engine startup command
00:00:00 -- Excitement guaranteed

FLIGHT TIMELINE
All Times Approximate

Hr/Min/Sec -- Event
00:00:00 -- Liftoff
00:00:58 -- Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket)
00:02:19 -- Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off)
00:02:21 -- Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation)
00:02:26 -- Super Heavy boostback burn start
00:03:02 -- Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown
00:06:10 -- Super Heavy landing burn start
00:06:35 -- Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch
00:08:09 -- Starship engine cutoff
00:26:10 -- Starship orbital insertion burn start
00:26:30 -- Starship orbital insertion burn shutdown
00:35:01 -- Payload deploy start
01:17:40 -- Payload deploy complete
01:27:46 -- Early Hawaii Return Check
07:15:35 -- Mid Chile Return Check
20:41:55 -- Final Hawaii Return Check
21:35:57 -- Deorbit burn start
21:36:07 -- Deorbit burn shutdown
22:10:46 -- Starship entry
22:29:34 -- Starship is transonic
22:30:13 -- Starship is subsonic
22:32:16 -- Landing burn start
22:32:18 -- Landing flip
22:32:26 -- Landing burn 3 to 2 engines
22:32:33 -- Landing burn 2 to 1 engine
22:32:34 -- Starship landing burn shutdown and catch

[SunkenCiv]

🚀🛰️

[catbertz]

I’m super excited for today’s test flight. Fingers crossed for successful booster catch, and a go for ship catch tomorrow! 🔥🚀🍺😎

[Rio]

Excellent SpaceX-produced video (about 20 minutes) released following previous flight 14:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ySMdUIF3cY

[grobdriver]

Holy cow!

I had no idea they were recycling this fast. I would have missed the flight - but now will reorganize my afternoon around it.

Thank you for posting!!

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

The whole series can also be seen here:

https://www.spacex.com/content/starship/go-for-orbit

[SunkenCiv]

Will Robinson-Smith:

How SpaceX plans to catch Starship (and the options if it’s unsafe)
4L55
Spaceflight Now
November 13, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFgQSy-4x7g

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX Starship Stacked Ahead of Flight 15 | 1-Minute Time-Lapse! [November 12, 2026]
1:06
VideoFromSpace
November 13, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvm1UBcqQsQ

[Hatteras]

Where are they launching from and if Kennedy, what’s the trajectory?

[Justa]

"Where are they launching from and if Kennedy, what’s the trajectory?"

Trajectory? Azimuth? Inclination? Wuh?

C'mon soldier, it's not that complicated. Just shoot that thing.

[SunkenCiv]

Boca Chica.

[SunkenCiv]

Starship Flight 15: SpaceX Double Catch Attempt!
LIVE (in about 35 minutes)
What about it!?
Launch time: November 13, 2026, 04:45 p.m. - 06:00 p.m. CT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfky54VSchE