Overview
- The Super Heavy booster auto‑aborted a planned mid‑air tower catch and activated its flight termination system, detonating above the Gulf of Mexico about 6.5 minutes after liftoff on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.
- SpaceX says the abort followed a guidance, navigation and control (GNC) fault detected during the booster's landing burn after 32 of 33 Raptor engines fired for boostback.
- The Ship upper stage reached low Earth orbit in good health, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites and began a planned roughly 14‑revolution mission that includes imagery and telemetry checks of its heat shield.
- Flight controllers will make a final health and imagery check at the 20‑hour mark, expected around 2 p.m. EST, to decide between attempting a tower catch back at Starbase around 4:20 p.m. EST or executing a contingency splashdown.
- The failed booster catch halts SpaceX's push for full‑system reuse on this flight and will affect Starlink deployment speed and future Starship recovery plans while regulators and local safety reviews continue to factor into any recovery attempt.