SpaceX Starship Flight 15 reaches orbit and deploys 26 Starlink satellites
The booster was diverted into the Gulf of Mexico and exploded, while SpaceX planned a first-ever attempt to catch the upper stage.
Latest · Nov 14 The Flight 15 booster was diverted into the Gulf of Mexico and exploded, and the upper stage reached orbit and deployed 26 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Starbase, Texas, on Friday, its most ambitious test yet and the 15th test flight in more than three years. The rocket reached orbit and released 26 of its newest Starlink v3 satellites about 40 minutes into the flight. The company's Starlink constellation already included over 11,000 satellites. The first-stage booster was commanded to divert into the Gulf of Mexico rather than return to the launch tower, and it exploded before reaching the water. SpaceX had hoped to recover and reuse the booster, which it has not yet done with the version 3 vehicle. The Hawaii Department of Transportation briefly paused some West Coast flights because of debris risk, and those orders have been lifted. The upper stage was expected to orbit Earth 14 times before a planned catch on Saturday using mechanical arms on the launch tower. SpaceX has never tried to catch an upper stage. Making Starship fully reusable is considered critical to the company's plans, including Starlink and future NASA lunar missions.
By the numbers
- 26Starlink v3 satellites released into orbit
- 14orbits planned before the upper-stage catch attempt
- 60Starlink v3 satellites one Starship can carry, the company has said
Key points
- Starship is now described as an operational orbital rocket
- The booster loss means reuse remains a goal, not yet proven on version 3
- Starship is planned to carry astronauts and cargo for NASA to the Moon
What’s next: SpaceX plans to attempt the first-ever catch of the Starship upper stage on Saturday at about 4:20 p.m. ET.
Read the original reporting (3)
Earlier coverage
- SpaceX plans Starship test flight Friday with full recovery attempt
SpaceX is preparing a Starship launch scheduled for Friday, with an upper stage landing attempt planned for the following afternoon, local time. Ars Technica said it would be on hand at Starbase in Texas to cover the flight.
The launch would be a first for an orbital rocket, since no orbital rocket has ever been fully recovered with the intent of reusing all of its components. An analyst quoted in a MarketWatch report said it is hard to overstate the significance of the flight.
The flight is aimed at testing whether the full vehicle can be recovered and reused.
Why it mattered: A fully reusable rocket could lower the cost of sending cargo and people to orbit, which matters for U.S. space programs and commercial launch companies. Success would strengthen American leadership in the launch industry.
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