Starship Flight 15 is set for Friday, November 13. Here is the exact launch time in your city, how to watch, and why this flight could make history.
SpaceX is aiming to launch Starship Flight 15 on Friday, November 13, 2026, from Starbase in South Texas. The launch window opens at 4:45 p.m. Central Time and lasts 75 minutes. SpaceX says the launch is still pending regulatory approval, and that the schedule can change.
This is not a normal test flight. For the first time, SpaceX plans to catch both parts of the rocket with the giant "chopstick" arms of the launch tower: the Super Heavy booster a few minutes after liftoff, and the Starship upper stage itself about 22 hours later. If both catches work, it would be the first time an orbital rocket has been fully recovered from a single flight.
- 📅 When: Friday, Nov 13, 2026, 4:45 to 6:00 p.m. CT (if approved)
- 📍 Where: Pad 2, Starbase, Texas
- 🚀 Rocket: Super Heavy Booster 22 + Ship 42 (newest "V3" design)
- 🦾 Big goal: catch BOTH the booster and the ship with the tower
- 🛰️ Cargo: 26 Starlink V3 internet satellites
- 📺 Watch: live on spacex.com and SpaceX on X, about 30 minutes before liftoff
What time is the Starship launch in my city?
The window is 75 minutes long. If SpaceX launches right when it opens, these are the start and end times around the world:
| City / time zone | Window opens | Window closes |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PT) | Fri 2:45 p.m. | Fri 4:00 p.m. |
| Texas, Chicago (CT) | Fri 4:45 p.m. | Fri 6:00 p.m. |
| New York (ET) | Fri 5:45 p.m. | Fri 7:00 p.m. |
| London (GMT) | Fri 10:45 p.m. | Fri 11:59 p.m. |
| Paris, Berlin, Madrid (CET) | Fri 11:45 p.m. | Sat 1:00 a.m. |
| Cairo (EET) | Sat 12:45 a.m. | Sat 2:00 a.m. |
SpaceX's live video starts about 30 minutes before liftoff. If the launch slips, the date can move. Weather reporter Eric Berger said Friday's weather at Boca Chica looked good, while Saturday's backup looked cloudier and windier.
How to watch Starship Flight 15 live
It is easy and free. SpaceX streams the whole thing on its website and on its X account. The plan is to keep the stream going all the way to the ship catch the next day, with live views from Starship in space sent through Starlink.
Stay tuned for the first big moment early: the booster catch is planned just 6 minutes and 35 seconds after liftoff.
The plan, step by step
| Time after liftoff | What happens |
|---|---|
| T+0:58 | Max Q (hardest push from the air) |
| T+2:21 | Hot-staging: the ship separates from the booster |
| T+2:26 | Booster turns around and flies back to Starbase |
| T+6:35 | 🦾 Booster catch by the tower arms |
| T+26 min | Ship fires its engines to reach orbit |
| T+35 min to 1h 18m | 26 Starlink V3 satellites are released |
| About 14 orbits | Ship circles Earth at about 275 km high |
| T+22h 10m | Ship re-enters the atmosphere |
| T+22h 32m | 🦾 Ship catch at the tower (Saturday afternoon, Texas time) |
One important rule: the ship will only fly back to Starbase if its key systems look healthy. SpaceX planned checks during the flight. If something looks wrong, the ship can instead come down in the ocean near Hawaii or off Chile.
Why the ship catch is such a big deal
SpaceX has already caught Super Heavy boosters three times (on Flights 5, 7 and 8). But every Starship upper stage so far has ended up in the ocean. Catching the ship means the whole rocket could be used again, like an airplane. That is the key to making space trips much cheaper.
The ship also gets help with its biggest problem: heat-shield tiles falling off. Flight 15 adds better tile holding and a new curved tile design. Three of the Starlink satellites carry cameras to scan the ship's heat shield in space.
Bringing the ship home is also new for safety. On the way back, it must fly over land instead of ending over open ocean like every earlier flight.
you love "first time ever" moments, giant rockets, or you want to see a giant booster grabbed out of the air by metal arms.
you can't stay up late in Europe or the Middle East. The booster catch will be all over social media minutes later.
Is Flight 15 approved by the FAA?
Not fully confirmed yet. SpaceX's own page still says the launch is "pending regulatory approval." Reports say SpaceX's safety update shows the rules for the ship's return were approved by the FAA, but that is not the same as the final launch license. Earlier, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said she expected the license to cover a tower catch for both stages.
Air-space closures filed around Brownsville run into late November, so SpaceX has backup days if Friday does not work.
How did we get here?
Flight 14 on September 28, 2026, was the first Starship to reach orbit, and it released 26 Starlink V3 satellites. Before Flight 15, Booster 22 and Ship 42 both finished full engine test fires. Booster 22 was then moved to the pad and tested in the tower arms at catch height. Musk has already named Flight 16, when both stages fly again, as the next step.
Want more SpaceX news? Read our story: Elon Musk pledges one SpaceX share to every kid in America.
FAQ: Starship Flight 15
What time does Starship Flight 15 launch?
The window opens Friday, November 13, 2026, at 4:45 p.m. CT (5:45 p.m. ET, 10:45 p.m. in London) and lasts 75 minutes, pending approval.
Where can I watch the Starship launch live?
On spacex.com and SpaceX's account on X. The stream starts about 30 minutes before liftoff.
Will SpaceX catch the Starship ship?
That is the plan. It would be the first ship catch ever, about 22.5 hours after liftoff, on Saturday afternoon Texas time. It only happens if the ship's systems look healthy.
Has Starship Flight 15 been approved?
As of the latest reports, SpaceX says the launch is still pending regulatory approval, so the date can move.
What is Starship carrying on Flight 15?
26 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX says each one adds 1 terabit of internet capacity.
