2026-11-11T16:30:48.939Z SpaceX Spacecraft Flight 15 Explained (Image credit: SpaceX) Happy Wednesday, space fans. We’re now T-2 days away from SpaceX’s planned launch of its Starship Flight 15 test mission, so I wanted to take a moment to explain what to expect. Today, you can read my full guide to SpaceX’s Starship Flight 15 launch here, which explains what time and where to watch the launch online. Takeoff is scheduled for Friday, November 13 at 4:45 pm CST, which is 5:45 pm EST (2245 GMT). But ALSO (and this is new) includes what time to tune in a day later for the planned landing of Starship’s upper stage (Ship) and grab it by the metal “Chopstick” arms of its landing pad at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Teas. If you’re wondering how rocket assembly is going, our spaceflight editor Mike Wall has this update on the Starship Flight 15 Super Heavy booster that went through final capture testing yesterday. Flight 15 will mark the first time SpaceX will attempt to land and capture both the Super Heavy booster (which it has done several times) and the ship from orbit. If successful, it will be the first complete recovery of an entire orbital rocket from space. Tariq Malik Editor in Chief, Space.com 2026-11-10T19:42:12.999Z SpaceX sets November 13 as launch date for Starship Flight 15 Artist’s illustration of SpaceX catching the upper stage of its Starship megarocket, something the company hopes to do on the vehicle’s 15th test flight. (Image credit: SpaceX) Hello space fans, and welcome to our coverage of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 15 test flight, the first to attempt twin landings of the Starship Super Heavy booster and the ship’s upper stage. SpaceX has officially set the launch date for Flight 15 for Friday, November 13 at 5:45 pm EDT (2145 GMT). That puts the launch just three days away, and Space.com will provide live coverage of the potentially historic flight, the first complete recovery of an orbital rocket. Space.com’s Spaceflight writer Josh Dinner will report live from near SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas, site for the launch, with me (Tariq Malik), Spaceflight and Tech editor Mike Wall, and other team members following the flight remotely for you here. SpaceX has already tested the engines of its Starship Flight 15 vehicles. Today, SpaceX moved Super Heavy Booster 22, the first stage of Flight 15, to the launch pad for vehicle stacking. Here are some photos of that move: Super Heavy moved to the launch pad at Starbase. Booster 22 is the first Super Heavy V3 booster planned to return to the launch site for capture and was used for final capture tests upon arrival, including a suspended compression test at capture height https://t.co/iYTX1e6DEH November 10, 2026 We will update this page periodically in the coming days, counting down to the launch (and landings) of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 15. So check back for updates every day. Tariq Malik, editor-in-chief of Space.com
