Originally published on ColdCaseTech.

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Then vs. Now (Partially Delivered): Then: Ars Technica reported on November 13 that SpaceX would try to recover an orbital rocket fully for reuse, with a Starship launch on Friday and an upper stage landing attempt 22.5 hours later on Saturday. Now: SpaceX caught the Starship upper stage with its launch tower arms and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, but the Super Heavy V3 booster aborted its catch and exploded over the Gulf, according to Engadget and The Verge.

SpaceX caught the Starship upper stage with the arms of its launch tower in South Texas on Flight 15, the first time the Ship has been caught, while the Super Heavy V3 booster aborted its own catch and exploded over the Gulf (Engadget). Ars Technica had previewed the attempt as an effort to recover an orbital rocket fully with the intent of reusing all of its components (Ars Technica).

Promised vs. Delivered

Item Promised Delivered Source
Full recovery First full recovery of an orbital rocket for reuse Ship caught, booster not recovered Ars Technica
Double catch Booster caught by tower, then Ship a day later Booster aborted its catch; Ship was caught Engadget
Starlink V3 deployment Deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites All 26 reached orbit Ars Technica
Booster reuse Return, refurbish and refly the booster Booster diverted to the Gulf Ars Technica

Timeline

  • 2026-11-13: Ars Technica previews a Starship launch on Friday and an upper stage landing attempt 22.5 hours later on Saturday afternoon, local time (Ars Technica).
  • 2026-11-14: SpaceX posts that Mechazilla caught Starship (Engadget).
  • 2026-11-14: The Verge reports the catch at around 4:20 PM ET (The Verge).
  • 2026-11-15: Ars Technica describes the catch on Saturday evening, following a handful of practice runs into the Indian Ocean (Ars Technica).

Details (as Reported)

Starship lifted off on Friday from South Texas on its 15th test flight, and SpaceX had planned its first double catch, in which the Super Heavy V3 booster would return to be caught by the chopstick arms before the Ship attempted the same maneuver a day later (Engadget). The first stage released the upper stage above the Gulf of Mexico, and the upper stage powered into a nominal orbit, the second time SpaceX has flown Starship into low-Earth orbit (Ars Technica).

The deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites came about 40 minutes into the flight, and the satellites carry solar panels that stretch 60 meters end to end when fully deployed (Ars Technica). Ars Technica reports that the first stage dropped quickly on its return but, due to an unspecified issue, was commanded to divert into the Gulf, where it caused a powerful explosion visible from more than 10 miles away (Ars Technica). Engadget reports that the booster exploded before hitting the water (Engadget).

The Ship stayed in orbit for roughly 22 hours after launch before heading back to the surface (Engadget). Ars Technica reports that three Raptor engines ignited as the Ship swung vertical, and that two nubs protruding about one foot on either side were its only purchase on the arms (Ars Technica). The Verge describes the result as a milestone but not a complete success, because the company did not recover the entire launch vehicle (The Verge).

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What Is Not Yet Confirmed

  • SpaceX is still trying to determine what caused the booster to abort its landing and detonate over the Gulf of Mexico (The Verge).
  • SpaceX has landed and reflown earlier Starship boosters but has yet to do so with version 3 (Ars Technica).

Sources

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