SpaceX to attempt first Starship spacecraft recovery on land in 15th flight
The upper stage reached orbit and deployed 26 Starlink satellites before an unspecified problem forced the booster into the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX said.
- SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Starbase, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, attempting the first-ever dual tower catch of both the Super Heavy booster and upper stage.
- SpaceX's strategy aimed to test rapid reusability by recovering both rocket stages using mechanical 'chopstick' arms, critical for reducing mission costs and accelerating launch rates.
- During ascent, the Super Heavy booster was diverted from its return path and exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage successfully reached orbit and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
- The booster's failure left the double catch unsuccessful, but the spacecraft remained in its planned 22-hour orbital profile, continuing systems testing for future Artemis moon missions.
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk views full reusability as essential for sustained human presence on the moon and Mars, making rapid recovery refinement critical to the company's long-term vision.
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SpaceX caught on Saturday, November 14, 2026 the Starship ship with the arms of its Starbase tower in Texas. It’s the first time it’s made it. The ship returned from space about 22.5 hours after taking off from the same site, according to the official page of Flight 15. The takeoff had been on ... Continue reading “22.5 hours after taking off: SpaceX catches the Starship ship with the arms of its Texas tower for the first time.”
SpaceX of Elon Musk has written the story, successfully completing a maneuver never successful: for the first time the upper stage of the Starship shuttle has been recovered after an orbital flight. The vehicle has returned to the base of launch of Starbase, in Texas, where it has been caught in flight by the giant mechanical arms of the Mechazilla Tower. The shuttle has spent about 22 and a half hours in space, completing 14 orbits around the E…
SpaceX managed to recover the upper stage of its mega-fuel Starship after more than 22 hours of flight, a major advance towards a fully reusable rocket.
A new chapter in history: SpaceX successfully used its giant robotic arm to "capture" the Starship spacecraft in mid-air for the first time, after it had orbited the Earth for 22 hours.
SpaceX Starship snatched from sky by mechanical arms in historic first
SpaceX's Starship has made a historic return to Earth, caught in mid-air by giant mechanical arms in a milestone for reusable rocket technology - though the first-stage booster exploded and fell into the Gulf of Mexico
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