World·SpaceX / Starship
SpaceX launches Starship Flight 15 from Starbase, Texas; booster catch aborted and Super Heavy splashes down in the Gulf, while the ship reaches orbit
SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Starbase, Texas, at 4:47 p.m. CT Friday, its first attempt to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage at the launch site, CNBC reported; an FAA spokesperson told CNBC the launch license was not affected by the nationwide ground stop. Space.com reported that Booster 22 aborted its planned tower catch and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, with SpaceX's Dan Huot saying, "We'll dig in to what caused that abort," while Ship 42 reached orbit carrying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. The ship's own return and catch attempt at Starbase is planned for Saturday afternoon after a flight of about 22.5 hours.
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