SpaceX scheduled its 15th Starship test flight for 5:45 PM ET on Nov 13, pending regulatory approval, to carry a payload of 26 Starlink V3 satellites. The mission will see Ship 42 and a Super Heavy V3 booster orbit Earth about 14 times at an altitude of 275 km over more than 22 hours before attempting a return to the Starbase launch site. Once back, the company will attempt to recover both the booster and the spacecraft using the launch tower’s mechanical arms.
The company will utilize a suborbital trajectory during initial ascent to ensure any early failure results in a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Three of the deployed satellites will carry cameras to provide real-time imagery of the spacecraft’s heatshield during reentry to inform the final return-to-site decision. Both vehicles completed their propulsion testing in late October, with Booster 22 firing its 33 Raptor engines on Oct 25 and Ship 42 completing its six-engine static fire and deorbit simulation by Oct 28.
