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SpaceX to attempt first-ever dual Starship stage catch on next test flight

Confirmed1 source · Oct 20, 2026

SpaceX plans to catch both the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage of its Starship megarocket during Flight 15, targeting next month.

SpaceX to attempt first-ever dual Starship stage catch on next test flight
Image via Space.com

What happened

SpaceX announced during its Q3 earnings call on October 20 that it will attempt to catch both stages of Starship using the launch tower's "chopstick" arms during the vehicle's next test flight, targeted for next month. If successful, this would be the first time an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered, according to CEO Elon Musk. SpaceX has successfully caught the Super Heavy booster on three of Starship's 14 test flights to date but has not yet attempted to catch the Ship upper stage. Musk stated it is "more likely than not" that the Ship catch will succeed on the first attempt, though he did not provide a specific target date for Flight 15.

Context

Full two-stage recovery represents a milestone in reusable rocket technology that Musk frames as essential to sustained human expansion beyond Earth. Both stages of Starship are designed to return directly to the launch tower and be rapidly refurbished for relaunch, differing from SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets which have expendable upper stages. SpaceX has conducted 14 test flights and on Flight 14 (September 28) achieved Ship orbital flight for the first time while deploying 26 Starlink Version 3 satellites. The company reported Q3 2026 revenues of $14.6 billion, a 161% increase year-over-year, with the majority generated by Starlink connectivity services and artificial intelligence segments rather than launch services. SpaceX envisions launching Starship over 10,000 times annually by 2030 to support deployment of thousands of Starlink satellites and AI data centers to orbit.