Special Preparations for 'Dual Catch' - Super Heavy booster and the Starship

SpaceX is targeting Friday, November 13, 2026, for Starship Flight 15, a mission that will attempt the first-ever "dual catch" of both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage (the Ship) using the launch tower's mechanical "chopstick" arms. If successful, it will mark the first time an orbital-class launch system has been fully recovered intact.



Hardware Preparations and Testing

  • The "Squeeze Test": The Super Heavy booster (Booster 22) was rolled out to the Starbase launch pad for a structural "squeeze test". The mechanical arms lifted and held the booster at the exact height of a real catch to verify that the arms close with the correct force and that the vehicle's catch points can endure the structural load without damage.

  • Ship Catch Fittings: For the upper stage catch, Starship is equipped with two specific load-bearing fittings located just below its forward flaps, which the tower arms will grab once the vehicle slows to a hover.

  • Contingency Planning: If go/no-go safety conditions are not met for a tower catch at the moment either vehicle arrives, SpaceX has designated contingency splashdown zones in the Gulf of Mexico for the booster and the Pacific Ocean for the Ship.

Flight Profile and Catch Sequence

  • Super Heavy (The Booster): Following its initial ascent, the booster will execute a series of engine burns to slow its descent and return to Starbase for a tower catch approximately 6.5 minutes after liftoff. SpaceX has successfully caught the booster on three prior missions (Flights 5, 7, and 8).

  • Starship (The Upper Stage): Because it travels to orbit, the upper stage catch presents a significantly more demanding challenge. The Ship will reach orbital velocity, circle the Earth about 14 times at a 275 km altitude, and deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.

  • The Ship's Return Sequence: After spending over 22 hours in space, the Ship must survive the intense heat of atmospheric reentry, maneuver back to the launch site, perform a flip, and use its Raptor engines to slow its descent before the chopsticks can secure it.

While Starbase has two launch towers, Flight 15 will execute both catches sequentially on a single tower at Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2).

  • Super Heavy Catch (~T+00:06:35): Booster 22 (the first Block 3 / V3 booster to attempt a return) lifts off from OLP-2 and returns to the same tower's Mechazilla arms roughly six and a half minutes after launch—marking the first catch attempt at Pad 2.

  • Clearing the Tower: Because Ship 42 remains in orbit for nearly a full day, ground teams have more than 22 hours to lower Booster 22 onto a transport stand, roll it away, and reset the OLP-2 chopstick arms.

  • Starship Catch (~T+22:32:34): After completing roughly 14 orbits and deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites, Ship 42 reenters and returns to the exact same OLP-2 tower and chopstick arms for the second catch.

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