| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2026-11-13 22:45:00 |
|---|---|
| Scheduled for (local) | 2026-11-13 16:45:00 (CST) |
| Launch Window (UTC) | 2026-11-13 22:45 to 2026-11-14 00:00 (1 hour 15 minutes) |
| Launch site | Pad 2, Starbase, Texas, USA. |
| Booster | B22 |
| Booster landing | Pad 2 |
| Ship | S42 |
| Ship landing | Pad 2 |
| Payload | 26 Starlink v3 satellites |
| Mass | unknown |
| Target orbit | LEO, 275 km |
Webcasts
Launch
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Space Affairs | www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl4O6RqbvOs |
| NASASpaceflight | www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XM0lpVlvo0 |
| International Rocket Launches | www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSFKHiwmBcg |
| Everyday Astronaut | www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJFdKoKNn2M |
| Spaceflight Now | www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlR1agMLyMk |
| Avid Space | www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqcNjUYQhpE |
| The Launch Pad | www.youtube.com/@TheLaunchPad/streams |
| VideoFromSpace | www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0ltKM5qc7A |
| SpaceX | x.com/SpaceX/status/2121316300702056595 |
| The Space Devs | www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos |
Coast phase
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Space Affairs | www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJKDRJ_GEM4 |
| NASASpaceflight | Part 1, Part 2 |
| International Rocket Launches | www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc22Y8ZV_1M |
| SpaceX | x.com/SpaceX/status/2121316300702056595 |
Ship catch
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Space Affairs | www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJKDRJ_GEM4&pp=0gcJCccHAY… |
| NASASpaceflight | www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpn5Whu2ao |
| International Rocket Launches | www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-hxUwZySGA |
| Everyday Astronaut | www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQFrpZaOpcQ |
| SpaceX | x.com/SpaceX/status/2121316300702056595 |
| The Space Devs | www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 4th launch of Starship version 3
☑️ 4th launch from Pad 2
☑️ 46 days, 09:56:01 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 4th Starship Full Stack launch this year, 15th overall
☑️ 127th SpaceX launch this year, 737th overall (excluding Starship hops)
☑️ 127th SpaceX launch this year, 747th overall (including Starship hops)
Mission Details
- SpaceX website (current, archive)
- NextSpaceflight
Starship Flight 15 is planned to be the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch. If successful, this will mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system and a breakthrough moment in making Starship a reliable, rapidly reusable rocket.
The Starship upper stage’s primary objectives include the deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites and the first return to launch site and catch at Starbase. Starship will only execute a return to launch site if the flight control team has ensured that the vehicle systems critical for reentry maneuvers and final landing burn and tower approach are healthy.
Three of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heatshield and transmit imagery down to operators. This method of analyzing Starship’s heatshield has been tested on previous flights and is one of several data sources to help inform Starship’s readiness to return to the launch site on Flight 15.
Starship’s initial return to launch site mission is expected to orbit the Earth at an altitude of ~275 km and complete approximately 14 orbits around the planet over the course of a more than 22-hour flight. Similar to Starship’s first orbital mission, the flight profile has been designed with the opportunity to insert into a passively safe suborbital trajectory or safely deorbit at multiple pre-determined areas over the ocean after raising to an orbital altitude.
Starship’s heatshield will incorporate the improvements made on Flight 14 including additional retention mechanisms on tiles in areas deemed to be at highest risk of falling off during ascent and addressing areas with a flow path for plasma to get behind the tiles. The vehicle will also have a large portion of the heatshield equipped with a curved tile design that has shown the ability to reduce heating in the gaps between tiles.
Timeline
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| T-00:50:00 | SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load |
| T-00:35:33 | Booster LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway |
| T-00:35:30 | Booster fuel (liquid methane) load underway |
| T-00:35:12 | Ship LOX load underway |
| T-00:35:11 | Ship fuel load underway |
| T-00:21:40 | Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship |
| T-00:02:50 | Booster propellant load complete |
| T-00:02:10 | Ship propellant load complete |
| T-00:00:30 | SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch |
| T-00:00:17 | Flame diverter activation |
| T-00:00:03 | Booster engine startup command |
| T 00:00:00 | Liftoff |
| T+00:00:58 | Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket) |
| T+00:02:19 | Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off) |
| T+00:02:21 | Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation) |
| T+00:02:26 | Super Heavy boostback burn start |
| T+00:03:02 | Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown |
| T+00:06:10 | Super Heavy landing burn start |
| T+00:06:35 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch |
| T+00:08:09 | Starship engine cutoff |
| T+00:26:10 | Starship orbital insertion burn start |
| T+00:26:30 | Starship orbital insertion burn shutdown |
| T+00:35:01 | Payload deploy start |
| T+01:17:40 | Payload deploy complete |
| T+01:27:46 | Early Hawaii Return Check |
| T+07:15:35 | Mid Chile Return Check |
| T+20:41:55 | Final Hawaii Return Check |
| T+21:35:57 | Deorbit burn start |
| T+21:36:07 | Deorbit burn shutdown |
| T+22:10:46 | Starship entry |
| T+22:29:34 | Starship is transonic |
| T+22:30:13 | Starship is subsonic |
| T+22:32:16 | Landing burn start |
| T+22:32:18 | Landing flip |
| T+22:32:26 | Landing burn 3 to 2 engines |
| T+22:32:33 | Landing burn 2 to 1 engine |
| T+22:32:34 | Starship landing burn shutdown and catch |