SpaceX Starship prepares attempt at pinpoint return landing on Earth

STARBASE, Texas, on November 14, saw SpaceX's Starship spacecraft embark on its 15th test flight, marking its longest-lasting mission to date. The uncrewed upper stage of the spacecraft was set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere after nearly a day in orbit, aiming for a pinpoint return landing at the launch tower. If successful, this would be the first round-trip voyage of a vertically-launched spacecraft to orbit and back to the very spot where it departed Earth, a significant test for Elon Musk's vision of a fully reusable rocket system.

The towering two-stage rocket, with its Super Heavy booster at the bottom, launched from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas on Friday. However, the booster had initially failed to return to the launch pad approximately 10 minutes after liftoff due to an onboard navigation issue, halting SpaceX's plan to recover both components of the rocket for the first time.

Despite this setback, Starship, currently cruising at an altitude of roughly 161 miles (260km), is poised to complete 14 orbits around Earth during its 22 hours and 32 minute flight. This marks the longest-lasting mission in SpaceX's 15th Starship flight since 2023, surpassing the roughly three-hour duration of its 14th flight in September, during which it achieved orbit for the first time.