Starship returns after 14 orbits and 22 hours, caught by Mechazilla arms
APPSO · wechat · 2026-11-15
Starship's 15th flight saw the Super Heavy booster lost to the Gulf of Mexico after its engines shut down early, but Ship 42 reached orbit, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, and completed 14 orbits over 22+ hours — the longest Starship orbital flight yet — before re-entering and being caught by the launch tower's mechanical arms.
SpaceX had previously caught boosters three times, but this is the first recovery of an orbital Starship. Next hurdles: proving re-flight of the recovered ship and on-orbit propellant transfer for Artemis Moon missions and Mars ambitions.
Related event: SpaceX Catches Orbital Starship With Mechazilla Arms After 22-Hour Flight(18 posts)→
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