Starship November 12, 2026 · Starbase · Launch planning

Flight 15 could launch Friday and bring its ship back to Starbase on Saturday: what to expect both days

SpaceX says Starship Flight 15 could launch as soon as Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, "pending regulatory approval," in a 75-minute window that opens at 4:45 p.m. CT. If it flies, Starbase gets a two-day event: the booster is due back at the tower minutes after liftoff, and the ship is planned to come back the next afternoon. SpaceX says it would be "the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch."

• Today, Thu., Nov. 12, 2026: the City of Starbase lists a road delay, "Production to Pad," from noon to 4 p.m. CT.
• Fri., Nov. 13, 2026, launch: the window runs 4:45 to 6 p.m. CT. SpaceX's timeline has the Super Heavy booster caught 6 minutes, 35 seconds after liftoff, the first catch try for a V3 booster. The FAA closes the airspace over the launch site from 4:30 to 6:40 p.m. CT (flight restriction 6/7129).
• Sat., Nov. 14, 2026, ship return: SpaceX's timeline puts the ship catch 22 hours, 32 minutes after liftoff. From a 4:45 p.m. Friday liftoff, that is about 3:17 p.m. CT Saturday. The FAA's "SpaceX Recovery Starship 15" restriction (6/7131) runs 2:53 to 6:14 p.m. CT that day.
• Both days: Mayor's Order No. 2026-25 closes Boca Chica Beach, Highway 4 from FM 1419/Oklahoma Ave. to the beach entrance, and the FAA hazard areas, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. CT Friday and Saturday. The city points beachgoers to Cameron County Beach Access No. 3, No. 4, No. 4 (West) and No. 5 (West) on South Padre Island.

Not a sure thing: SpaceX says the ship will only come back "if the flight control team has ensured that the vehicle systems critical for reentry maneuvers and final landing burn and tower approach are healthy." If not, SpaceX says it can end in precleared areas of the Pacific.

If Friday slips: the FAA has backup restrictions for a Saturday, Nov. 14 launch (6/7130, same hours) and a Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026 ship return (6/7132, same hours). The city's order covers Friday and Saturday only.

Sonic booms: when the ship comes back, SpaceX says "residents of Cameron County and those in the nearby area may hear one or more sonic booms," and that a sonic boom "does not present a health risk."

Watching: SpaceX's webcast starts about 30 minutes before liftoff and is planned to run through the ship catch. The city sends closure alerts if you text BEACH to 1-866-513-3475. Where to watch from: our launch viewing guide.

What's next: we'll post any change to the date, and the city's next closure order, as soon as each is published.

Around the world

Falcon 9 launched the USSF-627 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:36 p.m. PT (11:36 p.m. ET, 10:36 p.m. CT) Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, SpaceX says. The first stage, on its seventh flight, landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific.

United Launch Alliance is targeting 12:54 p.m. ET (11:54 a.m. CT) Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, to launch 40 Amazon Leo satellites on a Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, ULA says. ULA calls it the first of 38 Vulcan launches for Amazon.

Sources: SpaceX, Starship Flight 15 · SpaceX, Returning Starship to the Launch Site, Nov. 7, 2026 · City of Starbase, Mayor's Order No. 2026-25 (signed PDF) · City of Starbase, Beach and road access · FAA flight restriction 6/7129 · FAA flight restriction 6/7131 · FAA flight restriction 6/7130 · FAA flight restriction 6/7132

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