SpaceX showed an approximately 80-second simulation of a Starship tower catch during its October 20, 2026, third-quarter earnings webcast. Elon Musk said Flight 15 was expected in November and would attempt to catch both Starship and its Super Heavy booster. The animation depicted the planned maneuver, not a completed recovery.
What the Flight 15 animation depicts
In its account of the webcast, Teslarati described Starship gliding horizontally through the atmosphere, steering with its forward and aft flaps, rotating upright, then descending toward the tower’s “chopstick” arms. The sequence presents the intended approach from atmospheric glide to a tower catch.
What SpaceX said it planned for Flight 15
Musk said on October 20 that Flight 15 was expected the following month, meaning November 2026, and would attempt to catch both stages. SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said the company expected the flight license to cover a return to the launch site and tower catches for both Starship and Super Heavy.
The plan followed Flight 14’s orbital mission on September 28, 2026, which deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. NeoTeo covered Starship’s first orbital flight.
Earlier Super Heavy catches set the precedent
As of October 20, 2026, Super Heavy had been caught by the tower on Flights 5, 7, and 8; Starship itself had not. Teslarati also reported a September ground rehearsal with Ship 42, the vehicle assigned to Flight 15. Crews lifted it into a simulated catch position at Pad 2, cycled the tower arms, and connected the ship quick disconnect arm.
Bloomberg Tech’s footage of the Flight 5 catch documents the earlier Super Heavy recovery.
