Starship flight 15 will be the fifteenth launch and the second operational flight of the SpaceX Starship launch system. The mission is expected to use Booster 22 and Ship 42, as the fourth pair of Block 3 vehicles to fly. It is planned to launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Texas and enter low Earth orbit, then, for first time, both Ship and Superheavy would be caught in a single flight.
Flight 15 is expected to continue SpaceX's transition of Starship from its earlier suborbital development campaign toward orbital operations and full vehicle reuse.
It has been reported that aspects of the propellant transfer demonstration will start to be tested on Flight 15, like the docking and hatch mechanism.[citation needed] This is planned to be the first time where the Super Heavy Booster and Ship will return to the launch site, and the first V3 booster and ship to return.
Background
Flight 14
Flight 15 will follow Starship's first orbital and operational payload mission. During Flight 14, Booster 21 completed ascent, hot staging, a boostback burn and a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Ship 41 reached orbit despite the early shutdown of one of its six Raptor engines and subsequently deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites carried by the mission.
SpaceX shortened Flight 14's originally planned multi-orbit coast following the engine shutdown. The spacecraft subsequently performed a controlled deorbit, atmospheric reentry and Pacific Ocean splashdown. The mission demonstrated orbital insertion and operational satellite deployment before Flight 15's planned expansion of Starship recovery objectives.
Vehicle preparation
Booster 22
Booster 22 is a Block 3 Super Heavy booster expected to serve as the first stage for Flight 15. The booster was moved from Mega Bay 1 to the Massey's test site in September 2026 for cryogenic proof testing as SpaceX prepared the Flight 15 vehicle pair in parallel with the Flight 14 campaign.
SpaceX had considered Flight 15 as a potential return to tower recovery for Super Heavy. If a catch were to be attempted, it would be the first attempted with the Block 3 configuration and the first at Orbital Launch Pad 2. Booster 22 is expected to be the first V3 booster to return to Starbase and be caught by the tower, but it has not been confirmed whether it will return or perform an offshore landing maneuver once more.
On October 25, Booster 22 performed a static fire.
Ship 42
Ship 42 is a Block 3 Starship spacecraft expected to fly as the upper stage of Flight 15. The vehicle completed multiple cryogenic test campaigns at Massey's before being transported to Orbital Launch Pad 2 for a series of catch-related tests on September 11 and 12.
During the testing, Ship 42 was lifted and supported by the launch tower's chopstick arms in a simulated post-catch position. The vehicle was also positioned against the ship quick-disconnect arm while suspended by the chopsticks, testing hardware and procedures intended to support an eventual recovery of Starship directly at the launch tower. Ship 42 is currently expected to be the first V3 ship to be caught by OLP-2, but whether it will perform the first catch attempt or another water landing has not been confirmed.
Mission profile
Flight 15 is expected to launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase and place Ship 42 into low Earth orbit. As of September 28, 2026, SpaceX had not announced the mission's payload or detailed orbital profile.
A potential objective of the mission is the first attempted tower catch of a Starship upper stage. In September, Elon Musk stated that a successful Flight 14 could clear the way for a ship-catch attempt on Flight 15 and estimated the probability of success on the first attempt at "at least 50 or 60 percent".
NASASpaceflight subsequently described Flight 15 as the first realistic opportunity for a Starship catch and, in a best-case scenario, a simultaneous recovery of both Booster 22 and Ship 42 at Pad 2. On October 21, SpaceX announced that simultaneous booster and Starship catch would be attempted.
