On Saturday, SpaceX’s advanced Starship spacecraft completed its 15th test flight, circling the Earth and approaching a significant milestone: a precise landing back in Texas at the same location from where it had taken off.
The uncrewed upper stage of Starship is set to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere after spending nearly a full day in orbit. It will maneuver back toward its launch tower and attempt a controlled descent, aiming for a catch by the giant mechanical arms designed to secure the vehicle as it hovers above the launchpad.
If the mission is successful, it will represent the first round-trip journey of a vertically launched spacecraft returning to the original launch site, fulfilling a crucial test of Elon Musk’s aspiration to create a fully reusable rocket system.
The massive two-stage rocket’s lower section, the Super Heavy booster, propelled Starship into space on Friday, lifting off from SpaceX’s facilities in Starbase, Texas. Unfortunately, the booster did not successfully return to the launch pad approximately 10 minutes post-launch due to a navigation malfunction, thwarting SpaceX’s aim to recover both components of the rocket for the first time.
Currently flying at an altitude of about 260 kilometers, Starship is slated to complete 14 orbits around the Earth, resulting in a total flight duration of 22 hours and 32 minutes.
Last night, the 15th Starship flight since 2023 set a record for the longest mission, exceeding the roughly three-hour duration of its 14th flight in September, which marked its first orbital achievement.
SpaceX has dedicated nearly ten years to the development of Starship, which CEO Elon Musk envisions as the future backbone of the company’s satellite operations and its plans to send humans to the moon and, ultimately, Mars.
SpaceX’s leadership in the global launch sector has been largely based on its Falcon 9 rocket, which has launched over 700 times since 2010. While the first stage of this rocket is reusable, the second stage, responsible for placing payloads into orbit, is discarded into the ocean after each mission.
Previously, Starship’s Super Heavy booster has been retrieved during three test flights utilizing the launch-tower catch system, with the last successful catch happening in March 2025. Since then, the company has either opted to submerge it in the Gulf waters or faced issues due to onboard glitches that prevented successful landings.