SpaceX fails to recover both Starship stages, keeps Starlink push on track

What the test tried to prove

Test Flight 15 was SpaceX's most ambitious Starship attempt yet, targeting retrieval of both the booster and the spacecraft stage for reuse. Liftoff came from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 13, 2026, at 4:47 p.m. local time.

The catch did not happen. SpaceX abandoned the catch and redirected the booster for a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico; upon impact with the sea, it caught fire. The upper stage kept heading to orbit, with a plan for around fourteen Earth orbits and, if all works, a landing attempt back at Starbase on Saturday.

Satellites, capacity, and why Starship matters to the business

Starship is central to SpaceX's long term aim to send cargo and crews to the Moon and Mars. Near term, it is tied to expanding Starlink, which the company says is its profit center.

The constellation now exceeds 11,000 operational spacecraft circling in low Earth orbit. SpaceX says a single Starship can loft up to 60 Starlink v3 satellites, about 20 times what earlier Falcon 9 flights could manage. The previous Starship test released 26 v3 satellites, and Friday's mission added another 26, alongside an X post setting a goal of "Starlink becoming 51% of the internet."

New tools can help investors find small advantages that add up over time. We're hosting our first ever investor livestream on 11/17 to show you how to use ChatGPT and Claude to invest like a pro, hosted by Briefs Finance CEO Jaspreet Singh. Save your seat.

Regulators, geopolitics, and the competitive gap

SpaceX received FAA authorization earlier on Friday. A few hours afterward, the FAA put a nationwide ground stop in place because of communications problems at "multiple" air traffic control centers, though a spokesperson told CNBC that SpaceX's license remained unaffected.

At the same time, SpaceX is facing criticism over limits on its Starshield service in Ukraine. Built on Starlink technology and serving as the military tier, Starshield was again restricted without warning, harming defenses against Russia's ongoing aerial attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week. Comparable restrictions were put in place on a temporary basis last month.

Analysts at William Blair wrote Friday that "SpaceX is likely a full decade ahead of peers on this front," and added, "Even if tonight's catch is unsuccessful, a delay by a few months is not that consequential."

Being curious about emerging techniques often leads investors to clearer, more confident decisions. On 11/17, our CEO Jaspreet Singh goes live for our first ever investor livestream on how to use ChatGPT and Claude to invest like a pro. Register to join him.