Starship #15 scheduled for November with dual catch
October 20, 2026

By Chris Forrester



SpaceX’s giant Starship is scheduling the next test flight for November 8th subject to the usual weather and technical limitations. The difference for this test is that SpaceX is looking to catch both portions of the rocket with its ‘chopstick’ apparatus..

There’s also a tentative date for Starship #16 to launch late this year, but from Florida and not the usual Starbase in South Texas.


Flight #15 will attempt to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the upper Ship itself, and Flight 16 could become the first Starship launch from Florida’s Launch Complex 39A in December. The two flights are extremely important and would see a transition from test flights to being closer to reliable and routine usage.

The dual catch means the whole rocket comes home ready to fly again, which is the entire point of Starship and ready for inspection, refurbishment if needed, refuelling and ready to fly again. A second launch site on the East Coast matters just as much, because it ends the reliance on a single pad in Texas. If both happen, Starship could wrap this year looking like a fully operational system rather than a test programme.

Further ahead is a planned refuelling of two Starships while in orbit. This is slated for later in 2027, but perhaps in the first half-of the year, for an orbital docking and refuelling practice. The task is risky, but essential if SpaceX is to contemplate journeys beyond the Earth’s orbit and onto Mars. The two massive spacecraft will have to meet in orbit, dock with one another and then transfer super-cold rocket propellant between them.