SpaceX achieves historic recovery of Starship upper stage in Texas

On November 14, 2026, SpaceX conducted its 15th test flight of the Starship rocket from the Starbase facility in southern Texas. During the mission, the spacecraft successfully deployed 26 next-generation Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch marked a significant milestone as the vehicle spent 22 hours in space, completing 14 orbits before returning to the launch site.

The mission featured a historic recovery maneuver, as the 50-meter-tall Starship upper stage successfully docked with the mechanical launch tower arms, known as "chopsticks," upon its return. This feat represents the first time an upper-stage rocket component has been caught by the launch tower following an orbital flight. While the upper stage recovery was successful, the mission faced a setback regarding the Super Heavy booster. After separating from the Starship, the booster was meant to be caught by the same mechanical arms, but the attempt was canceled due to a technical issue. Consequently, the booster was directed to a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 6.5 minutes after takeoff.

The successful capture of the upper stage is viewed as a critical step toward the goal of achieving full and rapid reusability for the Starship system, building upon previous developments in vertical landing technology.