Starship Flight 15 Rocket Fully Stacked for Launch TODAY, but FAA License…

The day we've been waiting for is finally here. Starship Flight 15 preparations are nearing completion, bringing SpaceX closer to another major milestone. Meanwhile, ULA's Vulcan is preparing to fly after months of challenges, while Rocket Lab has raised Neutron's expected launch price before its first flight. Three major developments and plenty to unpack. Let's get into today's episode of Great Space to find out more. It's Black Friday, a day that most people dread but one that online shoppers like me absolutely love. But when it comes to Starship, the number 13 hasn't been so unlucky after all. During Flight 13, SpaceX achieved a major milestone by keeping S40 intact and successfully bringing it back. So I'm optimistic that Flight 15 could deliver another breakthrough, regardless of its exact launch date. And preparations are certainly moving ahead at full speed. In the last update, SpaceX has fully stacked the Flight 15 vehicle on the launch pad, bringing us one step closer to liftoff. So how did the team reach this important milestone? Let's start with B22. After weeks of static fire testing, the booster completed its remaining checks, including installation of the flight termination system. On the afternoon of November 9th, B-22 departed Megabay 1 and was transported to Pad 2, where it was promptly lifted onto the OLM, or Orbital Launch Mount. Once in position, the booster and launch infrastructure underwent a series of additional tests. For example, the Chopstick's arms lifted B-22 to simulate a booster-catching operation. The ship quick disconnect system also performed a powerful purge while the booster transport ring departed the launch site suggesting that preparations were progressing toward the next phase. SpaceX also shared footage of B-22's transportation and installation on X. One shot particularly caught my attention. A low-angle view of the booster being lifted against the night sky. It offered a spectacular look at the engine bay and the sheer scale of the vehicle. Honestly, it was almost cinematic. With the booster in position, attention turned to S-42, and one question had been on everyone's mind, had the ship's payload already been installed? The PEZ dispenser containing the satellites had arrived at Megabay 2 several days earlier. However, the actual payload loading operation appears to have taken place on the evening of the 11th. By the afternoon of the 12th, the Pez dispenser had left Mega Bay 2 and returned to the Star Factory, suggesting that payload integration was complete. That same afternoon, S-42 finally departed the production site and headed to the launch site. It even carried a rather amusing message on its aft section, Don't Panic S-42. SpaceX also shared images of the transportation operation. After arriving at the pad, S-42 was lifted onto B-22, completing the full vehicle stack Finally, the SQD was connected to the ship. With these operations complete, SpaceX appears to be preparing for November 13th's launch attempt. Considering that the ship and the full stack were assembled just a day before the planned launch, a wet dress rehearsal may not take place. Perhaps SpaceX is confident enough in the vehicle's condition and the results of previous testing to proceed without another full rehearsal. However, one important detail remains. Official FAA Launch Authorization At the time of this update, the permit had not yet been issued. That said, several supporting documents have already been published, including NOTAMs, NOTMARs, temporary flight restrictions, and launch and re-entry notices. So, we're getting closer. It's time to start the countdown, everyone. The stakes for Flight 15 are particularly high. For the first time, SpaceX plans to keep the ship in orbit for nearly an entire day. But there's an even bigger objective, recovering both Starship stages, potentially bringing SpaceX closer to a new era of rapid full-system reusability. If successful, this would represent a major step toward reducing launch costs, increasing flight frequency, and transforming how rockets are operated. And for those who love spectacular launch footage. Flight 15 should be one to watch. This time, Starship is expected to launch in the afternoon, with liftoff scheduled for 4.45pm local, roughly an hour before sunset. But because the vehicle will be traveling southeast, it will gradually move into regions where the sun has already set. That could create some spectacular viewing conditions. Think back to the footage of B-22 being lifted onto the launch pad against the dark sky. Now imagine that on a much larger scale with the entire Starship stack roaring into the atmosphere. The launch itself could produce an impressive jellyfish-like exhaust plume similar to the effect often seen during Falcon 9 launches. I'm also looking forward to the possibility of seeing Mach diamonds. These distinctive patterns form in rocket exhaust as pressure waves interact with the surrounding atmosphere. And with 33 Raptor engines firing together, Together, the combined effect could be astounding. If you're unfamiliar with this phenomenon, check out our video from more than two years ago. I've included the link in the description. And for those with telescopes, there's another exciting moment to look forward to. The deployment of 26 satellites. Depending on viewing conditions, they could appear as a string of lights crossing the night sky. There's certainly a lot packed into this mission, so are you ready for Flight 15? And more importantly, how confident are you that everything will go according to plan? Give us your prediction in the comments below with 0, 25, 50, 75 or 100% or make up your own number. Now, while Starship is our main attraction, Black Friday has another important launch on schedule, ULA's Vulcan. The mission is scheduled for 12.54pm Eastern from SLC-41, several hours before Starship's planned liftoff. This will be Vulcan's fifth flight, designated Vulcan LEO-1, and a particularly important return to flight for United Launch Alliance. It's been roughly nine months since the USSF-87 mission in February, when an anomaly involving one of the solid rocket booster nozzles prompted an investigation. Although the mission was completed, the incident led the U.S. Space Force to temporarily suspend Vulcan's national security launch assignments. ULA and Northrop Grumman subsequently introduced improvements and completed additional static fire testing in April, although the investigation remains ongoing. This upcoming flight is a commercial mission carrying Amazon LEO satellites, not a national security launch. Nevertheless, it offers another opportunity to gather flight data and demonstrate Vulcan's reliability. Preparations have been underway for months. ULA began stacking the rocket in May and completed wet dress rehearsals by August. More recently, the team installed six solid rocket boosters, making this the first Vulcan flight to use that configuration. The rocket also features an extended payload fairing and an upgraded Centaur V upper stage, allowing it to carry up to 40 LEO satellites. On October 21st, the fairing-containing 21 satellites arrived at the factory for integration. ULA announced November 13th as the target launch date on October 28th, and by the 12th, Vulcan had been rolled out to the pad. Clearly, ULA is eager to get Vulcan back into regular service, but simply returning to flight isn't enough. The mission needs to succeed. Another failure or major anomaly could further delay Vulcan's national security assignments and put ULA under even greater pressure from its competitors. So before turning our attention back to Starship Flight 15, let's see whether Vulcan can deliver the successful return to flight ULA desperately needs. And while Starship and Vulcan are preparing for liftoff, another rocket has been making headlines for a rather different reason. Its price. I'm talking about Rocket Labs Neutron. On the 9th of November, the company announced that it had raised Neutron's expected launch price from $55 to $70 million, an increase of more than 25% despite the rocket not yet having made its first flight, currently targeted for 2027. During the third quarter earnings call, founder and CEO Peter Beck explained, Launch is extremely constrained and that is exactly the situation we predicted. We saw a pent-up launch market on the horizon, and rather than provide early discounted launches, we set out to deliver a rocket into an environment with extreme demand at full price or higher. So why is Rocket Lab so confident? Let's take a closer look. Rocket Lab is best known for Electron. Its small satellite launcher, which debuted in 2017, has completed approximately 90 orbital missions. At 59 feet or 18 meters tall, Electron can deliver around 300 kilograms to low-Earth orbit. Neutron represents a much larger ambition, entering the medium-lift launch market. Standing approximately 141 feet or 43 meters tall, Neutron features a reusable first stage and is designed to carry up to 13 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. First announced in 2021, Neutron was originally expected to debut in 2024. However, technical and manufacturing challenges have pushed its first target flight Back to 2027. Despite those delays, customer demand appears remarkably strong. Beck revealed that Rocket Lab secured eight Neutron launch contracts during the third quarter of 2026 worth approximately $515 million. He also confirmed that the first 16 launches were already booked, meaning new customers could be looking at launch opportunities in the 2030s. In Beck's words, The demand is a function of both a tightening global launch supply and our customers' confidence that Rocket Lab is the right partner to break the world's launch bottleneck. And that brings us to the bigger picture. Rocket Lab believes the global launch market could face a serious supply shortage around 2028. Particularly as SpaceX moves toward eventually retiring Falcon 9. For comparison, Falcon 9 currently costs approximately $74 million per standard launch and can deliver around 22.7 metric tons to low Earth orbit in its expendable configuration. It's also become the world's most prolific orbital launch vehicle. In 2025, Falcon 9 reportedly completed 165 missions, roughly matching the number of orbital launches conducted by every other rocket combined. All 165 were successful, but SpaceX's long-term strategy is to transition its launch operations towards Starship, eventually replacing Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. Designed to be fully reusable, Starship aims to carry more than 100 metric tons to low Earth orbit. However, this transition could create an interesting challenge for commercial customers. Early Starship operations are expected to prioritize SpaceX's own projects, particularly Starlink V3 and its proposed Starlink AI satellite constellation. And the potential demand is enormous. Musk has discussed expanding Starlink V3 to approximately 100,000 satellites. With Starship potentially carrying around 60 satellites per flight, deploying the entire constellation could require roughly 1,700 launches. Starlink could be even more ambitious with a proposed constellation of up to 1 million satellites. That's an extraordinary number of launches, even for a vehicle as powerful as Starship. And according to Beck, this potential bottleneck could create opportunities for both Electron and Neutron. Now, can you see the bigger picture? Rocket Lab isn't simply raising Neutron's launch price. It's positioning itself to capitalize on a potential shift in the global launch market. As SpaceX transitions away from Falcon 9, satellite operators may face uncertainty over launch availability, creating opportunities for competing providers. But Rocket Lab still has something important to prove. Neutron must reach the launchpad, complete its maiden flight, and establish a reliable operating record. The company needs to move quickly if it wants to capitalize on this opportunity before Starship reaches full operational maturity. Because once SpaceX demonstrates Starship's intended combination of enormous payload capacity, rapid reusability, and low operating costs, competing against it could become considerably more difficult. For now, the launch industry is entering a fascinating period of transition, and Rocket Lab clearly intends to make the use of it. Let's see how this competition unfolds. And with that, thank you for tuning in to today's episode. I'm Kevin, and I'll see you in the next one. Until then, keep looking up.