Starship Flight 15 lifts off but skips booster catch, Space.com reports
Space.com reports that SpaceX's 15th Starship test reached orbit but aborted the booster tower catch.
TL;DR
- Space.com reports SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Texas on Nov. 13.
- Space.com reports the booster catch was called off, leading to a Gulf of Mexico splashdown.
- Space.com reports the upper stage reached orbit and began deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
Space.com reports that SpaceX sent its Starship rocket on the 15th test flight from Starbase, Texas, on Nov. 13 at 5:47 p.m. ET. The Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage lifted off cleanly under the power of 33 Raptor 3 engines.
According to Space.com, the booster was supposed to be caught by the launch tower’s mechanical arms but the attempt was called off. The booster ended up in a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico roughly 6.5 minutes after launch. Reasons for the change were not immediately clear.
Space.com reports the Ship stage kept going, reached low Earth orbit, and began deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. Space.com reports that this marks only the second time a Starship upper stage has made it to orbit, following Flight 14 in September.
The company may still try to bring the Ship back to the launch site on Nov. 14 if systems check out, Space.com notes. Three checkpoints are built into the timeline so engineers can switch to a Pacific splashdown if needed.
“We’ve got a nominal orbit insertion, so Starship now in orbit around Earth for the second time ever”
The Tea
Even without the flashy booster grab, getting the upper stage into orbit again and testing a potential return shows SpaceX is pushing the full reusability plan forward. The real test will be whether that Ship actually makes it home tomorrow.
Sources
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