On this page · 4 sections ▾
SpaceX caught a Starship upper stage with its launch tower's "chopstick" arms for the first time on November 14, 2026, after launching the vehicle on its 15th test flight on November 13. The Super Heavy booster aborted its own catch attempt and exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, so the planned double catch was only half achieved. The Verge and Engadget both reported the Ship catch as a first.
Key facts
- Launch: Flight 15 lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on November 13, at about 4:47 p.m. local time, according to The Next Web.
- Payload: Ship 42 deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, about 40 minutes into the flight, per Ars Technica.
- Orbit: the ship stayed up roughly 22 hours and was planned to circle Earth 14 times, according to Space.com and The Next Web.
- Booster: the Super Heavy V3 diverted to a backup splashdown and exploded before reaching the water.
- Ship catch: The Verge puts it at around 4:20 p.m. ET on November 14.
What went wrong with the booster
The Next Web reported that the booster canceled the catch on its own after detecting a guidance and navigation problem, citing SpaceX commentator Dan Huot on the company's webcast. Ars Technica described the cause only as an unspecified issue, and said the explosion was powerful even for observers more than 10 miles away.
The Verge says SpaceX is still working to determine why the booster aborted and detonated. SpaceX has caught a Super Heavy booster three times before, but not the newer, larger version 3, per The Next Web and Space.com.
Why the Ship catch matters
Space.com reports that SpaceX wants to launch 10,000 Starship missions per year by 2030, according to Musk, and that catching both stages directly at the tower should cut the time needed for inspection, refurbishment and reflight. Until Flight 15, the company had only targeted ocean splashdowns for the upper stage.
The Ship also had to pass health checks before the attempt. Ars Technica explained that the vehicle flew over parts of Mexico and the United States on its return, so SpaceX would only proceed if the vehicle looked healthy, with earlier ocean deorbit options as a fallback. Heat shield performance remains one of the biggest open hurdles, and SpaceX said it had added tile retention mechanisms and a curved tile design to reduce heating in the gaps between tiles.
The flight was also the second time Starship reached orbit, following Flight 14 on September 28.
What to watch next
The first item is the booster investigation. A recovered V3 booster is what SpaceX needs to demonstrate reuse of the latest vehicle version, and Ars Technica noted it has not yet done so.
The second is the condition of Ship 42 after its catch, particularly its heat shield tiles, since the aim is minimal refurbishment between flights. The sources do not report any inspection findings yet.
