SpaceX planned to attempt catching both Starship stages, Super Heavy and Ship, with the launch tower during Flight 15. Elon Musk announced the plan on October 20, 2026, and the flight was targeted for November. A separate report published two days earlier had cited a provisional November 8 earliest date and described vehicle tests still outstanding at that time.
What SpaceX planned for Flight 15
Starship has two stages: the Super Heavy booster and the Ship upper stage. SpaceX’s plan was for both to return to the launch tower, where mechanical arms, nicknamed “chopsticks,” could catch them. The attempt was planned for Flight 15, not a completed recovery.
Musk said the dual catch was more likely than not to succeed, offering a qualitative expectation rather than a numerical probability. VideoFromSpace’s report includes his earnings-call remarks alongside archival footage of Starship launches and earlier booster catches.
The earlier mission offers context for the next test. NeoTeo’s coverage of Starship Flight 14 describes that flight, which took place on September 28, 2026.
Why the Ship catch would be a new test
Super Heavy had been caught by the tower three times across Starship’s first 14 test flights, according to reporting on Musk’s announcement. Ship had not yet had a tower-catch attempt. Its return path is higher, farther and faster than the booster’s, making the upper stage the less-tested part of the dual-catch plan.
The provisional date and vehicle tests reported on October 18
On October 18, NASASpaceflight cited a CADENA slide for a provisional “No Earlier Than” date of November 8. “No Earlier Than,” or NET, identifies an earliest planned date, not a guarantee that a launch will occur that day. The report also said Ship 42 still needed a cryogenic proof test and Booster 22 was awaiting a static-fire test at the time.
Those preparations were reported before Musk announced the dual-catch plan on October 20. The announcement itself targeted Flight 15 for November without specifying a launch day.
Musk said that, if both catches succeeded, it would be the first time an orbital launch vehicle had been fully recovered.
