SpaceX Catches Starship Upper Stage, Booster Fails on Flight 15

SpaceX caught the Starship upper stage after an orbital flight for the first time, according to Newsweek. The spacecraft returned to SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas on Saturday, November 14, after spending approximately 22 hours in space and completing 14 orbits of Earth. As it approached the ground, Starship slowed itself, moved upright, and descended between two giant mechanical arms attached to its launch tower. The arms then closed around the spacecraft and held it above the ground.

It was the first time SpaceX had caught the Starship upper stage after an orbital flight. The company had previously used the tower to catch three “first stage” boosters, which form the lower part of the rocket that helps launch Starship into space.

Booster Catch Fails

SpaceX did not achieve the double catch it had planned. Booster 22 exploded after an aborted catch attempt on SpaceX Starship Flight 15 on November 13, 2026 in Starbase, Texas. The booster’s engines stopped firing too soon as it returned following Friday’s launch. Its guidance system determined that it wasn’t positioned correctly for a tower catch, so it diverted it toward the Gulf of Mexico, where engineers are currently investigating the cause.

Why the Catch Matters

Catching Starship at its launch site is central to SpaceX’s ambition to produce a fully and rapidly reusable rocket. Avoiding an ocean recovery means the spacecraft can, in principle, be inspected, refueled, and flown again without first being transported back from a distant landing area.

That rapid turnaround matters because future lunar missions are expected to require several Starship launches rather than one. SpaceX’s long-term strategy calls for both the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft to return to their launch towers, allowing the same hardware to fly repeatedly instead of building a new rocket for every mission.

Saturday’s test showed that the upper stage could survive both the orbital flight and re-entry, complete a controlled descent, and return to the tower. It didn’t, however, prove that the spacecraft can immediately fly again.

Why it matters

NASA selected SpaceX to develop a modified version of Starship as a Human Landing System, or HLS, for its Artemis lunar program, which aims to take astronauts to the Moon and establish a long-term human presence there. NASA has invested nearly $7 billion into the wider HLS program and expects to spend more than $18 billion by 2030.

NASA welcomed the recent Starship catch. Administrator Jared Isaacman described it as “almost magic” and said it brought the program “one step closer” to returning Americans to the Moon.

The central challenge in getting astronauts to the Moon is fuel. Starship can’t leave Earth carrying all the rocket fuel, or propellant, it needs to reach orbit and then continue to the Moon. SpaceX therefore plans to refuel Starship in orbit, using other spacecraft to deliver the fuel it needs before it heads for the Moon.

Exactly how many tanker launches will be necessary remains unknown. Charlie Precourt, a member of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel suggested that the operation could require as many as 22 launches, while SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has argued that the figure will be closer to six or eight.

No mission has yet demonstrated fuel transfer on the scale required by the Starship lunar architecture. SpaceX still needs to prove it can transfer large amounts of fuel and keep that fuel cold enough until it’s needed.

SpaceX is expected to inspect the recovered spacecraft and continue testing the upgraded Starship system, while also investigating the loss of the Super Heavy booster. The company must demonstrate reliable recovery of both stages, repeatable orbital missions, docking and large-scale propellant transfer.

NASA and SpaceX are also working toward an uncrewed lunar demonstration of Starship HLS before astronauts use the vehicle. NASA says its HLS program is working toward returning astronauts to the Moon by 2028, although NASA’s Office of Inspector General has continued to raise concerns about the technical challenges and schedule risks facing the HLS program.

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Sources

• newsweek.com: What Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Catch Means for Moon Missions - Newsweek
• 21jingji.com (in Chinese): Major Breakthrough in Commercial Spaceflight! "Chopsticks Catching Spaceship" Successful, Comprehensive Review of A-Share Industry Chain

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.