Starship Flight 15 Date Announced: Both Stages Will Be Captured

Starship Flight 15 is scheduled for November 12. SpaceX will attempt to return Super Heavy and Starship to the launch tower at the same time.

The launch date for Starship Flight 15 has been announced. According to SpaceNotices, the test flight will take place on November 12. Moreover, this time SpaceX will attempt something it has never tried before.

The importance of this flight comes from the fact that it marks a new threshold in reuse studies. Because for the first time, SpaceX will try to take back two stages together. For this reason, the launch has a special place in the Starship program.

First of all, the company will try to return two stages of the rocket simultaneously during Starship Flight 15. One of these is Super Heavy, that is, the booster stage that lifts the rocket from the ground. The other one is the Starship ship. As a matter of fact, Elon Musk announced this plan on October 20, while presenting the company's third quarter report.

What Will Capture Happen During Starship Flight 15?

Both stages are planned to return to the launch tower at the Starbase facility in Texas. In other words, returning to the tower will occur at the same point for both levels. There, giant mechanical arms attached to the launch tower will try to catch the vehicles. Super Heavy had already been successfully caught using this method. However, this maneuver will be tried for the first time for Starship.

The process will work differently for Starship. Because the ship will first go into orbit, then slow down. It will then pass through dense atmospheric layers. Finally, he will have to return to the tower and be captured.

Therefore, Starship Flight 15 will be the first test of the capture method for the ship. On the Super Heavy side, this method has already been implemented.

Rocket Size and Engines

The Starship system is approximately 120 meters high. It also consists of two main parts:

The Super Heavy booster has 33 Raptor engines.

There are six Raptor engines on the Starship ship.

Thus, a total of 39 Raptor engines are in operation in two stages. Additionally, both stages use liquid methane and oxygen as fuel.

SpaceX's Goal: Completely Reusable System

SpaceX wants to turn Starship into a completely reusable transportation system. That's why capture attempts are at the center of the plan. Satellite launches, payload transportation and future manned missions to the Moon and Mars are also part of this goal.

In addition, the company wants to try relaunching the ships and refueling them in orbit. In-orbit refueling, that is, the ability of the ship to receive fuel in space, is necessary for distant expeditions. Therefore, these tests are of particular importance.

Musk also set targets for launch frequency. Accordingly, weekly launches are expected to be achieved in the first half of 2027. The frequency is then planned to be increased to two launches per week or more.

In the future, it is aimed for the Starbase base alone to launch 10 thousand Starships annually. However, this figure belongs to a phase that will come after the weekly target.

The first concrete step for all these plans will be taken on November 12. If Starship Flight 15 takes place as planned, it will be the first time that Super Heavy and Starship will return to the tower at Starbase in the same flight.