SpaceX to Attempt First Full Starship Recovery on Friday

SpaceX is preparing for Starship Flight 15, the 15th test flight of its massive stainless-steel reusable rocket. The launch is scheduled for Friday, November 13, at 5:45 p.m. EST from the Starbase site in South Texas. SpaceX has a 75-minute launch window, meaning liftoff could occur anytime between 5:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST.

The mission aims to achieve the first full recovery of an orbital rocket in history. SpaceX will attempt to return both the Super Heavy first-stage booster and the Ship upper stage to Earth for back-to-back landings at the launch pad. The company has never recovered both stages before.

“unlock the true capability of Starship”

SpaceX considers full reusability the "holy grail" of rocketry. Recovering and reflying entire rocket parts could dramatically lower launch costs by eliminating the need to discard multimillion-dollar hardware after a single mission.

The upper stage, a 171-foot-tall spacecraft, must return from orbit to a safe, upright landing within the arms of the South Texas launch tower. Such a maneuver has never been demonstrated before.

SpaceX intends to use Starship for NASA Artemis moon missions, Starlink satellite launches, orbital data centers, and eventual crewed flights to Mars. The company stated that recovering the vehicle will "unlock the true capability of Starship."

SpaceX has not formally announced backup launch days. If delays occur, liftoff would likely happen at the same time based on past Starship missions.