Starship flight 15
| Mission type | Operational flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Ship 42 |
| Spacecraft type | Starship (Block 3) |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET October 19, 2026 (provisional) |
| Rocket | Super Heavy (Block 3, B22) |
| Launch site | Starbase, OLP-2 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site |
|
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Payload | |
| TBA | |
Starship flight 15 will be the fifteenth launch and the second operational flight of the SpaceX Starship launch system. The mission is expected to use Booster 22 and Ship 42, the fourth pair of Block 3 vehicles to fly.[1] It is planned to launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Texas and enter low Earth orbit.
Planning material published in September 2026 provisionally placed the launch no earlier than October 19, although SpaceX had not announced an official launch date as of September 28.[2]
Flight 15 is expected to continue SpaceX's transition of Starship from its earlier suborbital development campaign toward orbital operations and full vehicle reuse. Flight 14, launched on September 28, became the first Starship mission to reach Earth orbit and deploy an operational payload, placing 26 Starlink V3 satellites into low Earth orbit before Ship 41 performed a controlled reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.[3]
Background
[edit]Flight 14
[edit]Flight 15 will follow Starship's first orbital and operational payload mission. During Flight 14, Booster 21 completed ascent, hot staging, a boostback burn and a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Ship 41 reached orbit despite the early shutdown of one of its six Raptor engines and subsequently deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites carried by the mission.[3]
SpaceX shortened Flight 14's originally planned multi-orbit coast following the engine shutdown. The spacecraft subsequently performed a controlled deorbit, atmospheric reentry and Pacific Ocean splashdown. The mission demonstrated orbital insertion and operational satellite deployment before Flight 15's planned expansion of Starship recovery objectives.[3]
Vehicle preparation
[edit]Booster 22
[edit]Booster 22 is a Block 3 Super Heavy booster expected to serve as the first stage for Flight 15.[1] The booster was moved from Mega Bay 1 to the Massey's test site in September 2026 for cryogenic proof testing as SpaceX prepared the Flight 15 vehicle pair in parallel with the Flight 14 campaign.[4]
SpaceX had considered Flight 15 as a potential return to tower recovery for Super Heavy. A booster catch would be the first attempted with the Block 3 configuration and the first at Orbital Launch Pad 2. Whether Booster 22 will return to the launch site or perform an offshore landing maneuver has not yet been publicly confirmed.[5]
Ship 42
[edit]Ship 42 is a Block 3 Starship spacecraft expected to fly as the upper stage of Flight 15.[1] The vehicle completed multiple cryogenic test campaigns at Massey's before being transported to Orbital Launch Pad 2 for a series of catch-related tests on September 11 and 12.[4][6]
During the testing, Ship 42 was lifted and supported by the launch tower's chopstick arms in a simulated post-catch position. The vehicle was also positioned against the ship quick-disconnect arm while suspended by the chopsticks, testing hardware and procedures intended to support an eventual recovery of Starship directly at the launch tower.[6]
Mission profile
[edit]Flight 15 is expected to launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase and place Ship 42 into low Earth orbit. As of September 28, 2026, SpaceX had not announced the mission's payload or detailed orbital profile.
A principal potential objective of the mission is the first attempted tower catch of a Starship upper stage. In September, Elon Musk stated that a successful Flight 14 could clear the way for a ship-catch attempt on Flight 15 and estimated the probability of success on the first attempt at "at least 50 or 60 percent".[7]
NASASpaceflight subsequently described Flight 15 as the first realistic opportunity for a Starship catch and, in a best-case scenario, a simultaneous recovery of both Booster 22 and Ship 42 at Pad 2.[5] Flight 14 later achieved orbit, deployed its payload and completed controlled ocean recoveries of both stages, although SpaceX had not publicly reconfirmed the precise recovery plan for Flight 15 as of September 28.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Starship". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ NASASpaceflight (September 24, 2026). "This is super provisional! Starship Flight 15 - NET October 19 Starship Flight 16 (Starlink 30-1) - KSC 39A - NET October 30". X. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Roulette, Joey; Nesius, Steve (September 28, 2026). "SpaceX's Starship makes orbital debut deploying Starlinks before early ending". Reuters. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 Day, Eleanor (September 9, 2026). "Flight 15 pairing undergo testing at Massey's". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 Bergin, Chris; Day, Eleanor (September 17, 2026). "Starship's upcoming missions: Waiting on Orbit, Building toward the Cape". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 Bergin, Chris (September 14, 2026). "Ship 42 wraps chopsticks tests, Flight 14 moves to NET Sept. 22". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ Elon Musk; Gwynne Shotwell (September 14, 2026). Elon Musk & Gwynne Shotwell on AI Risks and Peer Review, Starship, Terafab, SpaceX/Tesla Merger. All-In Podcast. Retrieved September 28, 2026 – via YouTube.
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