SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Starbase, Texas, on Nov. 13, 2026, but waved off the planned tower catch of its Super Heavy booster. Instead, the booster descended to a designated splashdown area in the Gulf of Mexico. After stage separation, Ship 42 continued into orbit on a mission designed to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites. The Starship upper stage was also scheduled to return to Starbase for a potential tower catch after an extended flight around Earth, pending vehicle health and flight conditions. Credit: SpaceX