SpaceX Moves Starship Flight 15 Booster to Launch Pad Ahead of Double-Catch Attempt

SpaceX moved its latest Starship first stage, Super Heavy Booster 22, to the launch mount at its Starbase facility in South Texas ahead of Flight 15, which is scheduled to lift off on Friday, Nov. 13.

Launch and Catch Plans

During the upcoming launch test, SpaceX plans to catch both Booster 22 and Starship's Ship upper stage with its launch tower's "chopstick" arms in a double landing catch. The company has never tried this before.

Booster 22 "was used for final catch testing upon arrival [at the pad], including a suspended squeeze test at catch height," SpaceX said in an X post on Nov. 10.

SpaceX has used the chopstick arms during Starship flights before and has successfully caught Super Heavy on three separate occasions. The company has never attempted a catch of Ship, which flies higher and farther than the booster.

Flight Details

If all goes to plan, Flight 15 will launch from Starbase during a 75-minute window that opens at 5:45 p.m. EST (2245 GMT; 4:45 p.m. local Texas time).

Super Heavy will return to Starbase for its catch about 6.5 minutes after liftoff. Ship will follow about 22 hours later, after it has deployed 26 Starlink V3 spacecraft into LEO and completed 14 circuits of the planet.

Why it matters

SpaceX plans to catch Super Heavy and Ship on all operational Starship missions, a recovery strategy the company says will allow it to boost the megarocket's launch cadence.

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Sources

• space.com: SpaceX moves Starship Flight 15 booster to launch pad for 'squeeze test' ahead of epic double-catch attempt (photos) | Space
• tech.yahoo.com: SpaceX moves Starship Flight 15 booster to pad for 'squeeze test' ahead of epic double-catch attempt

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