SpaceX Starship 15th Test Flight Booster Recovery Fails, Upper Stage Reaches Orbit

On Friday, SpaceX failed to recover the booster of its Starship rocket during the 15th test flight, diverting it into the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage continued into orbit.

The rocket lifted off from Starbase, Texas, at 5:47 p.m. ET. The booster caught fire and burned in the water. The 15th test flight was the most ambitious Starship test to date and the first attempt to recover both the booster and the upper stage simultaneously.

Watch the 15th test flight of Starship

— SpaceX November 13, 2026

Upper Stage Target Landing Saturday

The upper stage is expected to complete 14 orbits around Earth. If the flight is successful, SpaceX will attempt to land it at Starbase on Saturday.

The Federal Aviation Administration approved the flight earlier Friday.

Starlink Expansion Drives Investor Interest

SpaceX deployed 26 Starlink v3 satellites during the 15th test flight, matching previous tests.

Starship is deploying its payload of 26 @Starlink V3 satellites. This deployment process will take approximately 42 minutes

— SpaceX November 13, 2026

The company stated in a post on X that its goal is for "Starlink to capture 51% of internet traffic."

Starlink is a profit center with over 11,000 active satellites in low Earth orbit. SpaceX says a single Starship can carry up to 60 v3 satellites, roughly 20 times the payload capacity of Falcon 9.

Today's flight will deploy 26 @Starlink V3 satellites, advancing our goal of Starlink capturing 51% of internet traffic

— SpaceX November 13, 2026

According to CNBC, William Blair analysts said SpaceX is "likely a full decade ahead of peers" in the launch sector. In a Friday report, analysts noted that even with the failed recovery, "a delay of a few months doesn't matter."

In June, Gavin Baker, managing partner and chief investment officer at Atreides Management and an early SpaceX investor, said the reusable Starship could reduce launch costs to approximately $5 billion per gigawatt of computing power. He highlighted deploying Starlink v3 via reusable Starship as a milestone worth tracking.

Trading Metrics

SpaceX has a market cap of $1.89 trillion, with a 52-week high of $225.64 and a 52-week low of $104.83.

Price action: On Friday, SPCX shares closed at $139.11, down 0.59%.