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SpaceX caught the Starship upper stage with mechanical arms on its 15th test flight, while the Super Heavy booster did not return to the launch site and made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX’s Starship upper-stage spacecraft returned to Earth and was caught midair by giant mechanical arms at Starbase, Texas, on November 14, 2026, during the vehicle’s 15th test flight. The capture marked the first-ever capture of a Starship flying back from space, according to Al Jazeera.
The Starship rocket launched from Texas on the afternoon of the 13th, US Central Time. The vehicle is approximately 120 meters long and 9 meters in diameter, consisting of the approximately 70-meter-long Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. The mission lasted approximately 22.5 hours.
After stage separation, the Super Heavy booster failed to return to the launch site as planned and ultimately made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX’s Kate Tice said its engines stopped firing too soon on the way back down. The booster’s guidance system sensed it was not in the right position and automatically initiated the watery detour and self-destruction. Engineers are still investigating the cause.
The upper-stage spacecraft entered an orbit approximately 275 kilometers above Earth and completed the deployment of 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. After orbiting for more than 20 hours, the spacecraft reignited one Raptor engine, left orbit, and re-entered the atmosphere, approaching the launch site from the Gulf of Mexico side. After maneuvers such as flipping, it was captured and recovered by the launch tower’s mechanical arm in a vertical attitude.
SpaceX officials said the catch demonstrates Starship’s full reusability, crucial for rapid, low-cost recycling. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, posted on social media that during this test flight, the booster engine performance was below expectations, leading to a fuel shortage issue. The company will address this by improving engine performance and stability, adjusting flight software, and other measures. Musk also pointed out that the spacecraft and booster currently in use are outdated compared to improved versions that are being produced or are in testing. The loss of this booster will not affect the timeline for achieving high-frequency, fully reusable flights for Starship.
The successful upper-stage catch shows progress toward full reusability of the Starship system, while the booster failure highlights remaining challenges in recovering both stages simultaneously. NASA, which is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the Moon later this decade, welcomed the achievement. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on X, “It was almost magic.”
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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SpaceX recovered the Starship upper stage Ship 42 at its Texas launch site after an orbital flight. The Super Heavy booster was diverted to the Gulf of Mexico and exploded before hitting the water.
