WORLDTECHSpaceX Catches a Starship
What happened
SpaceX’s 15th Starship Integrated Flight Test (IFT-15) returned to Earth today and was “caught” back at the launch tower after orbiting Earth 14 times. SpaceX is a space company based in Hawthorne.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk envisions thousands of Starship launches per year from at least three sites: Starbase; Kennedy Space Center, FL, where the first Starship could launch this year; and the newly announced site to be built in Vermilion Parish , LA. IFT-15 lifted off at 5:47 pm ET yesterday, November 13, from Starbase, Texas.
It’s only the second time SpaceX has attempted to put Starship into orbit. The first time was IFT-14 two months ago, and was largely successful.
No attempt was made to recover the vehicle and it splashed down in the north Pacific a little more than three hours after launch and making almost two orbits. Starship IFT-15 made 14 orbits and returned to the launch site at Starbase, TX, where it was “caught” at the launch tower by arms dubbed Mechazilla or “chopsticks.”
https://t.co/YJzmGUZb2B — SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 14, 2026 SpaceX has caught three Super Heavy Boosters, the rocket’s first stage, that returned to the tower minutes after liftoff (IFT-5, IFT-7 and IFT-8), but this is the first attempt to catch the second stage, Starship, after an orbital mission. Starship is designed to be fully reusable with fast turnaround times.
When fully operational, Starship will be the first completely reusable orbital spacecraft. NASA’s Space Shuttle is the closest in comparison.