Starship deploys 26 Starlink V3 satellites on Flight 15
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SpaceX says all 26 Starlink V3 satellites carried on Starship’s fifteenth flight have been deployed into orbit. The company’s official November 14, 2026 update was followed by another statement announcing a long coast phase around Earth. This report describes the intermediate mission status established by those statements. It does not mean that the upper stage has returned or been caught by the launch tower.
Latest update: vehicle and heatshield healthy
In a later official update, SpaceX said Starship remained in Earth orbit nearly seven hours after the mission began, with both the vehicle and its heatshield healthy. Teams continued monitoring systems ahead of a planned return and tower catch at Starbase approximately 22.5 hours after launch. This assessment applies to the time of the update; the catch remained a planned milestone.
Payload deployment completed
SpaceX confirmed completion of payload deployment and said all 26 satellites were in orbit. In its subsequent update, the company said teams would monitor Starship’s systems during approximately 21 hours of intended orbital flight. It reported that systems looked good at that point and that several early deorbit options remained available if needed.
The initial approximately 21-hour period and the later target of 22.5 hours after launch use different reference points. Neither is a new countdown starting when a reader opens this article.
Super Heavy Booster 22 splashed down
In a separate official post, SpaceX reported the landing burn and splashdown of Super Heavy Booster 22. That does not mean the booster was caught by the tower. The booster’s splashdown and the planned return of the orbiting Starship upper stage are separate events; this report does not speculate about a cause not stated in that update.
Return remains a separate, conditional milestone
SpaceX’s preflight mission plan called for approximately 14 orbits at about 275 kilometres altitude during a flight exceeding 22 hours. Returning to Starbase for a catch was conditional on the health of systems critical to reentry and landing. Delivering a payload and safely recovering the vehicle are therefore distinct milestones.
Successful satellite deployment does not establish that the planned return has been completed. A later official mission update is needed to determine the upper stage’s final outcome.
Image: SpaceX preflight mission image, not a record of a completed Flight 15 catch.
Sources: SpaceX Booster 22 splashdown update, SpaceX vehicle and heatshield status update, SpaceX satellite deployment update, November 14, SpaceX orbital coast update, SpaceX Flight 15 mission plan.
