SpaceX working through Starship Flight 15 and 16 milestones

SpaceX is advancing toward Starship Flight 15 in November and Flight 16 in December, with Flight 15 targeting the first dual catch of both booster and Ship and Flight 16 potentially becoming the first launch from Launch Complex 39A. The current cadence would yield only five Starship launches in 2026, largely due to the transition between Block 2 and Block 3 vehicles.

The no-earlier-than date for Flight 15 is November 8. Ship 42 had its engines removed for a cryogenic proof test after a Raptor Vacuum shutdown on Flight 14, which Musk called an isolated software glitch. Booster 22 awaits transport for static fire, while Booster 23 and Ship 43 prepare for Flight 16, with Booster 23 completing an extended cryoproof.

Flight 16 vehicles would be shipped individually to Kennedy Space Center aboard a transport barge for testing at Roberts Road before moving to Pad 39A for propellant loading tests and a static fire. The FAA has begun a programmatic environmental impact statement that could eventually permit up to 456 annual launches and 912 landings from Starbase, far above the current 25 launches and 50 landings.

Source

SpaceX working through Starship Flight 15 and 16 milestones — NASASpaceflight