Starship flight 15 reaches orbit, setting up a possible booster catch Saturday
With the upper stage in a nominal orbit, SpaceX now plans a possible first-stage catch on Saturday.
SpaceX's Starship launched on schedule from Starbase in South Texas on Friday evening, marking its 15th test flight and the first since a gap of more than three years. The first stage performed cleanly, separating over the Gulf of Mexico, after which the upper stage lit its Raptor engines and reached a nominal low-Earth orbit. It was only the second time SpaceX has placed a Starship into that orbit, and the company now has a possible booster catch planned for Saturday.
Why it matters
The launch returns Starship to flight after a gap of more than three years and only the second time the vehicle has reached low-Earth orbit. For readers following spaceflight, it shows the upper stage performing as planned after separation, with the first stage separating cleanly over the Gulf of Mexico. Whether the planned booster catch succeeds on Saturday is the next test of the program's recovery approach, and the outcome will show whether the orbital result holds up as a repeatable step.
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