SpaceX launch today: Elon Musk’s Starship Flight 15 double catch attempt - launch time, how to watch and why it matters

SpaceX launch: SpaceX is gearing up for launch of its Flight 15 of Starship rocket on Friday, November 13. The company will try to catch both sections of the rocket as they return to its Texas launch site, using giant mechanical arms attached to the launch tower.

SpaceX has caught the Super Heavy booster on previous flights, but Friday's mission will be its first attempt to catch the booster and the upper-stage spacecraft, Ship, during the same flight. A successful attempt would bring Elon Musk's company closer to making Starship fully reusable. It could also help NASA's plans to send astronauts back to the Moon.

SpaceX Starship Flight 15: When Is the Launch and How To Watch

SpaceX is targeting 5:45 p.m. Eastern time for liftoff from Starbase near Brownsville, Texas. However, the Federal Aviation Administration had not issued a launch licence as of Friday morning, according to The New York Times.

Weather or technical problems could also delay the flight. SpaceX plans to broadcast the test live on its website and on it's social media X account, with coverage beginning about 30 minutes before launch.

SpaceX Launch Today: How Will SpaceX Catch Both Parts of Starship

Starship stands 407 feet tall and consists of two sections. The Super Heavy booster, powered by 33 engines, provides the thrust needed to lift the rocket. The upper stage, known as Ship, continues into space.

After liftoff, Super Heavy will separate and head back to Starbase. Two mechanical arms on the launch tower are expected to catch it. SpaceX has already managed this three times in 2024 and 2025.

Ship will continue into orbit and release 26 Starlink V3 satellites. It is expected to circle Earth about 14 times over roughly 22 hours before returning to Texas for a second catch attempt.

There is also a backup plan if Starship can't safely return to the launch site. SpaceX can send it toward a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean instead, according to NYT.

Why the Starship Launch Matters for NASA

NASA is counting on Starship to play a major role in its Artemis programme, as per NYT. A version of the spacecraft is being developed as a lunar lander for future Moon missions.

Artemis III, planned for the second half of 2027, will not include a Moon landing. Instead, astronauts will practise docking with prototype landers in Earth orbit, including SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon.

NASA plans to send two astronauts to the Moon's south pole on a later Artemis mission. The agency has not yet chosen which lander it will use.

Recovering both Starship stages would also help SpaceX move closer to its goal of flying the same rocket hardware repeatedly rather than discarding it after launch.

SpaceX Could Attempt Starship Refuelling in Orbit Next Year

Catching the rocket is not the only challenge ahead. SpaceX is also working on orbital refuelling, which would allow one Starship to transfer liquid methane and liquid oxygen to another while both are in space.

The technology is needed for journeys beyond low-Earth orbit, including trips to the Moon and Mars. SpaceX could attempt the refuelling milestone next year, although it has not confirmed a date.