NASASpaceflight says documentation also shows plans for an ambitious future flight cadence at Starbase alone.
NASASpaceflight reports that SpaceX is preparing Starship Flights 15 and 16 to close out 2026. It also says documentation shows plans for an ambitious future flight cadence at Starbase alone.
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SpaceX is preparing two more Starship missions that could fly before the end of 2026, but the schedule remains provisional and both vehicles still have major ground tests ahead.
NASASpaceflight reports that Flight 15 is targeting November. The report says a Federal Aviation Administration air-traffic planning slide listed Nov. 8 as a no-earlier-than date, while Elon Musk separately described a window before Thanksgiving. Neither amounts to a firm launch date.
The outlet identifies Booster 22 and Ship 42 as the Flight 15 hardware. Both still need static-fire tests.
Ship 42 recently returned to SpaceX's Massey's test site for another cryogenic proof test after its engines were removed. NASASpaceflight notes that the reason for the removal has not been confirmed. Booster 22 is believed to have its engines installed and is awaiting a move to Starbase's Pad 2 for its own static fire.
Musk has said SpaceX intends to attempt catches of both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage on Flight 15. A successful dual catch would be the first full recovery of both parts of a Starship stack.
Flight 16 is tentatively aimed for December. NASASpaceflight says current activity points to Booster 23 and Ship 43 as the likely vehicles, with the booster having completed a long cryogenic test before returning for engine installation.
SpaceX describes a full-duration six-engine test and a separate single-Raptor firing to simulate a deorbit burn.
Space.com reports the October 25 engine test began a campaign to ready the rocket for Starship Flight Test 15.
SpaceX describes a full-duration six-engine test and a separate single-Raptor firing to simulate a deorbit burn.
Space.com reports the October 25 engine test began a campaign to ready the rocket for Starship Flight Test 15.
The mission could also become Starship's first launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. That would require shipping both vehicles from Texas to Florida and completing the pad's first full campaign of loading tests, a booster static fire and integrated vehicle checks. The report cautions that the plan could change depending on Flight 15 and SpaceX's operational priorities.
The two planned missions sit against a far more ambitious long-term proposal for Starbase. The FAA says it has begun a programmatic environmental review of SpaceX's request to expand launch and landing operations at the Texas site.
SpaceX's proposal has two phases. The first would allow up to 100 launches and 200 combined Ship and Super Heavy landings per year. The second would raise those ceilings to 456 launches and 912 landings, with launches limited to weekdays but allowed at any hour.
Those numbers are not approved operating limits. The FAA's completed environmental review currently covers up to 25 annual Starship launches and 50 combined landings. Public scoping is only an early step toward a draft environmental impact statement, a final review and an agency decision.
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@NASASpaceflightSpaceX is preparing Flights 15 and 16 to close out 2026 for Starship, while documentation shows plans for a crazy future cadence at Starbase alone. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/spacex-flight-15-16-milestones/@NASASpaceflightSpaceX is preparing Flights 15 and 16 to close out 2026 for Starship, while documentation shows plans for a crazy future cadence at Starbase alone. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/spacex-flight-15-16-milestones/@NASASpaceflightSpaceX is preparing Flights 15 and 16 to close out 2026 for Starship, while documentation shows plans for a crazy future cadence at Starbase alone. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/spacex-flight-15-16-milestones/@NASASpaceflightSpaceX is preparing Flights 15 and 16 to close out 2026 for Starship, while documentation shows plans for a crazy future cadence at Starbase alone. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/spacex-flight-15-16-milestones/
