When Is the Next Starship Launch? Flight 15 Date, Time & How to Watch

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

The question Space Monkey hears more than any other right now is simple: when is the next SpaceX Starship launch? On September 28, 2026, Starship Flight 14 became the first Starship flight ever to reach orbit, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites before a shortened flight ended with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. The milestone has everyone asking what comes next, so here is everything we know, and everything we still do not know, about Starship Flight 15.

What We Know About Starship Flight 15

First, the honest answer: SpaceX has not announced an official launch date for Flight 15. What exists are planning targets. Air-traffic planning slides circulated through the CADENA system list Flight 15 no earlier than October 19, 2026. Treat that as an unconfirmed target, not a launch date. These are planning documents, and Starship schedules have a long history of slipping.

The hardware is moving. Ship 42 and Booster 22, the expected Flight 15 vehicles, have completed cryogenic testing, with engine work, static fires, and a full post-flight review of Flight 14 still ahead. That review matters: Flight 14 was not clean. Booster 21 lost a Raptor engine about 76 seconds after liftoff, and Ship 41 lost a Raptor Vacuum engine during ascent. Both vehicles still finished their missions, but SpaceX will want to understand those anomalies before flying again.

The big storyline is the catch. Flight 15 is expected to bring back booster catch attempts with the launch tower’s chopstick arms, and there is even talk of trying to catch the Ship itself for the first time. SpaceX has already run a simulated catch test with Ship 42, which strongly hints at the ambition for this flight.

What We Do Not Know Yet

Quite a lot. SpaceX has not confirmed the mission profile, so we do not know whether Flight 15 will attempt a booster catch, a ship catch, both, or neither. We do not know the launch window, and we do not know whether the flight will target another ocean splashdown or attempt a return to the launch site.

Then there is the Florida question. The same planning slides list a Starship mission called Starlink Group 30-1 no earlier than October 30 that could fly from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, which would be the first Starship launch from Florida. But LC-39A does not yet hold a license to fly Starship, and the pad still needs activation work. Treat Florida as a possibility, not a plan.

For the latest confirmed information, watch our Starship program status page and the upcoming launch schedule, which we update as dates firm up.

How to Watch the Next Starship Launch

When a date is finally set, SpaceX will webcast the flight live, typically starting about 30 minutes before liftoff. We will embed the stream and post the exact liftoff time on our website.

What to expect on launch day: Starship test flights get no firm daily schedule until SpaceX announces one, and holds and scrubs are common, so check back on the day itself. If you are watching from Texas near Starbase, listen for the sonic booms of anything coming back. And if you dream of seeing a launch in person, our Texas launch viewing guide covers the best spots near Starbase.

Why Flight 15 Matters

Flight 14 proved Starship can reach orbit and deliver real payloads. Flight 15 is about proving it can come home. A successful catch of the booster, and especially of the ship, would be the clearest signal yet that SpaceX’s fully reusable vision is within reach. It would also set the tempo for everything riding on Starship, from the Artemis lunar landings to the Starlink V3 constellation.

Until SpaceX makes it official, treat every date you see as a rumor with a source. We will update this article the moment a real target is announced. Never miss a Starship launch: follow Space Launch Schedule on Facebook, check the website, or get launch alerts from the iOS or Android app.