Starship Flight 15 completes orbital ascent despite booster recovery failure

SpaceX completed the 15th test flight of its Starship launch system on Friday, successfully reaching low-Earth orbit after lifting off from Starbase, Texas (Ars Technica). While the mission aimed to achieve the first-ever retrieval of both the Super Heavy V3 booster and the Starship upper stage, the booster recovery attempt was aborted due to safety concerns, resulting in the vehicle's destruction upon impact with the ocean (Universe Today, next BIG future). The upper stage successfully ignited its Raptor engines to achieve a nominal orbit, carrying 26 Starlink V3 satellites intended to expand network capacity, with each unit adding 1 Terabit of bandwidth.

The flight profile utilized a 22-hour duration, with the ship circling the Earth 14 times before a planned return to the launch site for a 'chopstick' catch, provided vehicle systems remained healthy (Greg Landegger from BitDigest). This mission represents a critical step in testing the V3 booster and the new launch pad infrastructure, which remains essential for lowering the cost of orbital access. SpaceX maintains strict safety protocols, opting to divert the upper stage to the ocean rather than attempt a landing if pre-set conditions are not met, ensuring the tower infrastructure is preserved for future attempts.

• Rocket Lab will reach its 100th mission milestone with the launch of an Electron vehicle from New Zealand on November 14 (Ars Technica).
• United Airlines has equipped over 50% of its daily flights with Starlink connectivity, targeting full fleet integration by the end of 2027 (Simple Flying).