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SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket

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Cite

Francis, A., & Morelle, R. (2026, November 13). SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckregdgnl0xpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

BBC News · collected 2026-11-13 · by Alison Francis, Rebecca Morelle

Quick Summary

SpaceX plans to attempt a "double catch" of its 124m-tall Starship rocket using mechanical arms nicknamed chopsticks during a test flight from Texas this Friday. The company aims to catch the Super Heavy booster after six and a half minutes and the upper Ship stage after it completes 14 orbits, marking a potential milestone for full rocket reusability. The report highlights how this flight is critical for the economics of space access and the success of NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks to land humans on the Moon by 2028. While SpaceX has successfully caught the booster three times before, this mission represents the first attempt to capture the upper stage, which has previously only been splashed down in the ocean.
Written by AI on 2026-11-14, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).
See how they differ ↓

How they differ

9 outlets covered “SpaceX historic test flight takes off”.

What each outlet says

One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.

BBCThis outlet13 Nov

SpaceX plans to attempt a "double catch" of its 124m-tall Starship rocket using mechanical arms nicknamed chopsticks during a test flight from Texas this Friday. The company aims to catch the Super Heavy booster after six and a half minutes and the upper Ship stage after it completes 14 orbits, marking a potential milestone for full rocket reusability. The report highlights how this flight is critical for the…

SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket (this article)
CBS News13 Nov

SpaceX launched its 15th Starship test flight on Friday from the Starbase site on the Texas Gulf Coast to test a return-to-launch-site maneuver. The 236-foot-tall Super Heavy booster, powered by 33 Raptor engines and carrying 8 million pounds of fuel, successfully propelled the craft into the atmosphere but splashed down in the ocean instead of returning to the pad. The 171-foot-tall Starship was scheduled to…

SpaceX launches first-iof-its-kind Starship test flight →2 articles from CBS News on this story
NBC News14 Nov

This news report covers SpaceX's historic Starship rocket test flight taking off. The text identifies the launch as one of the few flights occurring that night and notes that the reporting focuses on how the company obtained permission and what the specific goals of the mission are. The article provides a brief summary of the event through a report by NBC News' Gadi Schwartz.

SpaceX historic test flight takes off →2 articles from NBC News on this story
NPR13 Nov

SpaceX is preparing to conduct an ambitious test of its massive Starship rocket in South Texas, which aims to circle the Earth and land vertically at the launch pad. The report highlights a shift in the company's business model as SpaceX plans to wind down its Falcon 9 rocket operations to prioritize Starship and its lucrative Starlink and AI businesses. This transition creates a potential problem for NASA, as the…

SpaceX's giant rocket may leave NASA in the dust →
CBC13 Nov

SpaceX plans to launch its 124-metre-tall Starship rocket from its South Texas facilities on Friday for its 15th flight since 2023. The mission is a high-stakes test of Elon Musk's goal for a fully reusable rocket system, as the company intends to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage on land rather than discarding them in the ocean. While the flight aims to deploy operational Starlink…

SpaceX to attempt to catch its first Starship on land in 15th flight →
Toronto Star13 Nov

SpaceX plans to launch its most powerful rocket, Starship, this Friday from its Texas launch site to attempt the first-ever simultaneous midair recovery of both the booster and the spacecraft. The 22-hour mission aims to recycle the 236-foot booster and the 171-foot spacecraft using mechanical arms on the launch tower after the vehicle completes 15 orbits and delivers 26 Starlink satellites. This reporting focuses…

SpaceX aims for first double catch of Starship in its most ambitious test flight yet →
Show 3 more outlets
The Daily Wire13 Nov

SpaceX is scheduled to launch Starship Flight 15 from its South Texas facility during a 75-minute window starting at 5:45 p.m. ET this Friday. The mission aims to deliver 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit while attempting a historic first by using the launch tower’s "chopstick" arms to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Ship. This report highlights the mission as a pivotal test for achieving…

SpaceX Aims For Historic First In Daring Starship Recovery Attempt →
The Guardian14 Nov

SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket from Starbase in south Texas on Friday afternoon as part of Flight 15, a test mission intended to orbit Earth 14 times over 22 hours. The rocket consisted of a Super Heavy booster with 33 raptor engines and a Starship upper stage, though the booster was aborted and splashed down in the sea while the Starship continued its flight. The report focuses on SpaceX's ambitious goal…

SpaceX Starship megarocket blasts off before expected return for reuse →
Deutsche Welle14 Nov

SpaceX launched its 15th Starship mission from the South Texas Starbase, successfully deploying 26 Starlink satellites into orbit while failing to recover the booster rocket as intended. Although the mission was designed to recover both stages to lower spaceflight costs, the booster diverted from its path and exploded over the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage remains in orbit and is scheduled to be caught by…

SpaceX launches Starship rocket, fails to recover booster →

Where they agree and split

Framing

How the first headlines put it

Stated as fact7
An achievement1
The headlines (8)

SpaceX's giant rocket may leave NASA in the dust NPR · stated as fact

SpaceX to attempt to catch its first Starship on land in 15th flight CBC · stated as fact

SpaceX aims for first double catch of Starship in its most ambitious test flight yet Toronto Star · stated as fact

SpaceX chases rocket reusability with upcoming Starship Flight 15 launch CBS News · stated as fact

SpaceX launches Starship on Flight 15 mission NBC News · stated as fact

SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket BBC · stated as fact

SpaceX Starship megarocket blasts off before expected return for reuse The Guardian · stated as fact

SpaceX Aims For Historic First In Daring Starship Recovery Attempt The Daily Wire · an achievement

Words to watch (1)

SpaceX Starship megarocket blasts off before expected return for reuse The Guardian

The full story: what happened, how it changed, and all 11 articles →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
SpaceX to attempt to catch its first Starship on land in 15th flight Same event
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 72/100
SpaceX aims for first double catch of Starship in its most ambitious test flight yet Same event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 29 claims Outlet record 64/100
SpaceX Aims For Historic First In Daring Starship Recovery Attempt Same event
The Daily Wire
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 59/100
SpaceX Starship megarocket blasts off before expected return for reuse Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 65/100
SpaceX chases rocket reusability with upcoming Starship Flight 15 launch Same event
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 68/100
SpaceX launches Starship on Flight 15 mission Same event
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 77/100
SpaceX's giant rocket may leave NASA in the dust Different event
NPR
Hedges 7 of 50 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses the launch and landing of Starship, while Article B focuses on the attempt to catch both parts of the Starship rocket mid-air after launch, which are different specific actions.”
SpaceX launches first-iof-its-kind Starship test flight Different event
CBS News
Hedges 3 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss the same test flight of SpaceX's Starship, Article A focuses on the launch details and initial flight, while Article B focuses on the attempt to catch both parts of the rocket after the launch. They describe different aspects of the event.”

Story

SpaceX historic test flight takes off
Other · 11 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
32
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
2 of 32 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
11
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-14 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

BBC News · 5818 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Alison Francis
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
- Published SpaceX will attempt to catch both parts of its huge Starship rocket after it launches on its next test flight on Friday.
2026-11-13 · assertive framing · SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket
- Published A space mission is set to launch on Monday that will attempt to grab a piece of Mars' moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon
The fact that none of the ship's wood remained meant techniques like radiocarbon dating - which measures a form of carbon in organic materials - could not be used to determine its age.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey
Also by Alison Francis
Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon
2026-10-19 · BBC News
World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey
2026-10-14 · BBC News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
Rebecca Morelle
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
- Published SpaceX will attempt to catch both parts of its huge Starship rocket after it launches on its next test flight on Friday.
2026-11-13 · assertive framing · SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket
- Published A space mission is set to launch on Monday that will attempt to grab a piece of Mars' moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon
The fact that none of the ship's wood remained meant techniques like radiocarbon dating - which measures a form of carbon in organic materials - could not be used to determine its age.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey
Also by Rebecca Morelle
Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon
2026-10-19 · BBC News
World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey
2026-10-14 · BBC News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Falcon 9 Nasa Ship SpaceX Starship

Subjects

SpaceX ORG · 8× Nasa ORG · 5× Starship ORG · 4× Blue Origin ORG · 3× the US Space Agency ORG · 2× Elon Musk's PERSON · 1× Malcolm Macdonald PERSON · 1× SpaceX. ORG · 1× Starlink ORG · 1× Texas GPE · 1×

Narrative

SpaceX has been given a Nasa contract to configure the Ship into a lander that will eventually take astronauts down to the lunar surface. But it's not the only company working with the US Space Agency.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-14
- Published SpaceX will attempt to catch both parts of its huge Starship rocket after it launches on its next test flight on Friday.
2026-11-14 · BBC News
SpaceX to attempt double catch of huge Starship rocket · assertive framing

Claims (32 extracted, 2 hedged)

- Published SpaceX will attempt to catch both parts of its huge Starship rocket after it launches on its next test flight on Friday. asserted
it → publish → Friday
Elon Musk's company will use the mechanical arms - nicknamed chopsticks - on its launch tower to grab the rocket parts mid-air as they return to Earth. asserted
they → use → Earth
If successful, this will be the first full recovery of a rocket that's been to space, paving the way for making Starship reusable so it can fly repeatedly. asserted
it → pave → way
Nasa will be closely watching the flight: the SpaceX rocket is set to play a vital part in its Artemis programme, which will see astronauts land on the Moon. asserted
astronauts → watch → Moon
The 124m-tall rocket is scheduled to blast off from the Starbase launchpad in Texas at 1645 local time (2245 GMT) with a 75-minute-long launch window. asserted
rocket → schedule → window
After six and a half minutes, the first planned catch will be attempted when the bottom part of the rocket - the Super Heavy booster - returns to the launch tower. asserted
part → plan → tower
The top part of the rocket, called the Ship, will continue its journey to space and deploy 26 satellites. asserted
part → call → satellites
These will form part of the Starlink constellation that provides high speed internet from space. asserted
that → form → space
The Ship is then due to complete 14 orbits around the Earth before returning for the second catch attempt about 22 and a half hours after taking off. asserted
Ship → complete → attempt
Until now, SpaceX has managed to catch the Super Heavy Booster on three earlier test flights. asserted
SpaceX → manage → flights
But the upper stage of the rocket, which only reached orbit for the first time in September, has never been grabbed by the chopsticks. asserted
which → reach → chopsticks
Instead it's splashed down in the ocean. asserted
it → splash → ocean
SpaceX said it would only decide to try to catch the Ship after carefully assessing the vehicle while it's in space. asserted
it → say → space
If any problems are detected there are various points during the flight when the rocket stage can be brought down in the ocean. asserted
stage → detect → ocean
Building a fully reusable rocket is a long-held ambition for SpaceX. In 2015, it became the first company to vertically land part of a rocket with its Falcon 9 booster. asserted
it → build → booster
Falcon 9 rockets now fly more than a hundred times a year, and the ability to reuse the bottom part of the rocket has dramatically cut the costs of launch. asserted
ability → fly → launch
But landing an entire Starship rocket could take this to the next level, says Prof Malcolm Macdonald, President of Royal Aeronautical Society. uncertain
Macdonald → land → Society
"A successful double catch would be visually spectacular, but full reusability has the potential to fundamentally change the economics of accessing space," he said. " asserted
he → have → space
One successful flight will not prove that model, but it could mark an important transition: from demonstrating that Starship can fly, to demonstrating how Starship could operate. uncertain
Starship → prove → transition
" After SpaceX went public earlier this year, its shareholders will be carefully monitoring this flight, as will the US Space Agency. asserted
Agency → go → flight
The progress of Starship has direct implications for Nasa's attempt to land humans on the Moon in 2028 - a highly ambitious timeline. asserted
progress → have → 2028
SpaceX has been given a Nasa contract to configure the Ship into a lander that will eventually take astronauts down to the lunar surface. But it's not the only company working with the US Space Agency. asserted
it → give → Agency
Blue Origin, owned by rival tech billionaire Jeff Bezos, also has a contract to use its New Glenn rocket and lander for the Moon touch down. asserted
Origin → own → touch
Both companies will also play a key role in Artemis III, which is currently planned for summer 2027- another challenging schedule. asserted
which → play → summer
This mission will see four astronauts in Nasa's Orion spacecraft attempt to dock with both SpaceX and Blue Origin's landers. asserted
astronauts → see → SpaceX
Starship will need to make a lot of progress in the coming months to meet these commitments - the pace of the rocket's development has been far slower than SpaceX had intended. asserted
SpaceX → need → development
But Blue Origin also has much work to do. asserted
Origin → have → work
The company suffered a major setback earlier this year when its rocket exploded, totally destroying its launchpad in Florida. asserted
rocket → suffer → Florida
Blue Origin had said they would be back in action by the end of this year, but a return to flight has now been delayed to early in 2027. asserted
return → say → 2027
Nasa is under pressure to meet its timelines. asserted
Nasa → meet → timelines
Its administrator Jared Isaacman has said America is in a race with China to get to the Moon. asserted
America → say → Moon
China plans to land its Taikonauts on the lunar surface by 2030. asserted
China → plan → 2030
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