Starship Flight 15 — launch date, time, visibility & where to look

15th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle and 4th flight of Starship V3.

Starship V3 on the pad
Rocket
Starship V3
Provider
SpaceX
Launch site
SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
Status
To Be Determined

Countdown to liftoff

Targeting December 2026 — the exact date and time are not set yet. Launch dates firm up close to the attempt; set a free alert below to get the final time.

Launch time

This launch time is not yet confirmed. Rocket launches often slip by hours or days for weather, technical checks, or range scheduling; treat the time above as a target and re-check close to the date.

Get the exact time and direction for Starship | Flight 15: free email alert

Go-for-launch confirmation, a heads-up the day before, a reminder an hour out, and a note if the schedule slips.

We'll send one confirmation email from LookToSpace; click it to activate. One-click unsubscribe.

Free email alert + a note if the date moves ✓ what you’re signing up for now

Pro SMS launch reminders · significant schedule-change texts · exact compass bearing · $19.99/yr

Free · no account needed

Sky outlook at the pad

Daily cloud cover and rain chance at SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA (liftoff is still beyond the 7-day forecast window):

  • Today 20% cloud 10% rain
  • Wed 22% cloud 47% rain
  • Thu 23% cloud 51% rain
  • Fri 32% cloud 51% rain
  • Sat 40% cloud 26% rain
  • Sun 41% cloud 16% rain
  • Mon 40% cloud 15% rain

Forecast at the launch site; check your own sky too: cloud over you can hide a launch the pad forecast says is clear.

Pro members get the 7-day outlook for their own saved locations + a weather go/no-go call. Pro · $19.99/yr

Sonic boom expected

The booster returns to land at the launch-site catch tower — expect a sharp double sonic boom around the landing area a few minutes after liftoff. (Recovery plan not yet confirmed in launch data — recent flights have caught the booster back at the tower, so this assumes the same.)

The booster comes back for a catch at the tower around T+7 min; the boom then travels outward at the speed of sound: roughly a minute per 13 miles. Super Heavy is a far larger booster than a Falcon; its booms are louder and carry farther.

Likely heard in: Port Isabel, TX, South Padre Island, TX, Laguna Vista, TX, Bayview, TX, Los Fresnos, TX, Brownsville, TX · Possible: Harlingen, TX

Not an explosion: it’s the sharp double crack of a returning booster going supersonic. Starship sonic booms in South Texas, explained →

Pro members get boom alerts for their saved spots → Pro · $19.99/yr

Visibility map: how far away can you see it?

Each ring shows how far away Starship V3 is line-of-sight visible that many seconds into flight: about 89 miles by T+30s, 192 miles by T+60s, and roughly 305 miles by T+90s. City dots are colored by the expected view quality; the table below has the direction to look from each.

N ↑ T+90s T+75s T+60s T+45s T+30s T+15s Harlingen, TX — 36 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Harlingen McAllen, TX — 68 mi from the pad · excellent view expected McAllen Corpus Christi, TX — 125 mi from the pad · good view expected Corpus Christi Laredo, TX — 179 mi from the pad · good view expected Laredo Port Aransas, TX — 127 mi from the pad · good view expected Port Aransas Rockport, TX — 140 mi from the pad · good view expected Rockport Orbital Launch Pad 2
Starship | Flight 15 visibility range: each ring marks how far away the rocket is above the horizon that many seconds after liftoff, out to about 305 miles at T+90s. Rings are line-of-sight geometry from a representative ascent profile, centered on the pad — the rocket also travels downrange, stretching views along its track, and night launches are often visible well beyond the outer ring. Assumes clear skies and an open horizon.

Which cities can see this launch?

Estimated visibility from major towns near US launch sites, assuming clear skies and an open horizon. The 10 most likely first:

CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Port Isabel, TX Excellent south-southeast 6 mi
South Padre Island, TX Excellent south 7 mi
Laguna Vista, TX Excellent southeast 11 mi
Bayview, TX Excellent east-southeast 18 mi
Los Fresnos, TX Excellent east-southeast 21 mi
Brownsville, TX Excellent east-northeast 22 mi
Harlingen, TX Excellent east-southeast 36 mi
McAllen, TX Excellent east-southeast 68 mi
Corpus Christi, TX Good south 125 mi
Port Aransas, TX Good south 127 mi
Show all 94 cities
CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Rockport, TX Good south 140 mi
Laredo, TX Good southeast 179 mi
Grand Isle, LA Fair west-southwest 492 mi
Gulf Shores, AL Marginal west-southwest 647 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL Marginal west-southwest 679 mi
Tallahassee, FL Marginal west-southwest 841 mi
Tampa, FL Fair west 914 mi
Gainesville, FL Marginal west-southwest 940 mi
Lakeland, FL Fair west-southwest 946 mi
Kissimmee, FL Fair west-southwest 980 mi
Orlando, FL Marginal west-southwest 984 mi
Jacksonville, FL Marginal west-southwest 989 mi
Sanford, FL Marginal west-southwest 993 mi
St. Augustine, FL Marginal west-southwest 1003 mi
Palm Coast, FL Marginal west-southwest 1005 mi
Daytona Beach, FL Marginal west-southwest 1012 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL Marginal west-southwest 1015 mi
Mims, FL Marginal west-southwest 1018 mi
Titusville, FL Marginal west-southwest 1019 mi
Rockledge, FL Fair west-southwest 1022 mi
Merritt Island, FL Marginal west-southwest 1024 mi
Melbourne, FL Fair west-southwest 1028 mi
Palm Bay, FL Fair west-southwest 1029 mi
Port Canaveral, FL Marginal west-southwest 1029 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL Fair west-southwest 1029 mi
Satellite Beach, FL Fair west-southwest 1029 mi
Indialantic, FL Fair west-southwest 1031 mi
Sebastian, FL Fair west 1035 mi
Vero Beach, FL Fair west 1039 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL Fair west 1040 mi
Fort Pierce, FL Fair west 1043 mi
Miami, FL Good west 1054 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL Fair west 1056 mi
West Palm Beach, FL Fair west 1060 mi
Valdosta, GA Not visible — 906 mi
Brunswick, GA Not visible — 1014 mi
Savannah, GA Not visible — 1056 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC Not visible — 1078 mi
Charleston, SC Not visible — 1136 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC Not visible — 1215 mi
San Diego, CA Not visible — 1288 mi
Long Beach, CA Not visible — 1366 mi
Pasadena, CA Not visible — 1372 mi
Los Angeles, CA Not visible — 1375 mi
Mojave, CA Not visible — 1394 mi
Malibu, CA Not visible — 1399 mi
Richmond, VA Not visible — 1402 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA Not visible — 1410 mi
Oxnard, CA Not visible — 1429 mi
Newport News, VA Not visible — 1434 mi
Norfolk, VA Not visible — 1436 mi
Ventura, CA Not visible — 1437 mi
Bakersfield, CA Not visible — 1447 mi
Virginia Beach, VA Not visible — 1451 mi
Cape Charles, VA Not visible — 1462 mi
Santa Barbara, CA Not visible — 1462 mi
Washington, DC Not visible — 1468 mi
Exmore, VA Not visible — 1480 mi
Onancock, VA Not visible — 1489 mi
Solvang, CA Not visible — 1490 mi
Buellton, CA Not visible — 1493 mi
Annapolis, MD Not visible — 1496 mi
Los Alamos, CA Not visible — 1500 mi
Baltimore, MD Not visible — 1501 mi
Lompoc, CA Not visible — 1508 mi
Pocomoke City, MD Not visible — 1509 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA Not visible — 1510 mi
Wallops Island, VA Not visible — 1511 mi
Orcutt, CA Not visible — 1511 mi
Santa Maria, CA Not visible — 1513 mi
Chincoteague, VA Not visible — 1514 mi
Salisbury, MD Not visible — 1517 mi
Guadalupe, CA Not visible — 1521 mi
Fresno, CA Not visible — 1521 mi
Pismo Beach, CA Not visible — 1528 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA Not visible — 1532 mi
Berlin, MD Not visible — 1534 mi
Ocean City, MD Not visible — 1541 mi
Dover, DE Not visible — 1547 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE Not visible — 1553 mi
Cape May, NJ Not visible — 1568 mi
Philadelphia, PA Not visible — 1590 mi
Ocean City, NJ Not visible — 1596 mi
San Jose, CA Not visible — 1645 mi

Where to look

A rocket lifts off below the horizon for distant viewers, then climbs into view as it gains altitude and flies downrange. Closer to the pad you'll see it within seconds; a few hundred miles away it can take three to six minutes to rise over the horizon. Find an open view in the direction shown for your city and start watching at liftoff.

10° 38° T+10s T+5m 10s SE
From Port Isabel, TX: rises T+10s in the SSE, peaks 38°.
10° 40° T+10s T+5m 10s SE
From South Padre Island, TX: rises T+10s in the S, peaks 40°.
10° 34° T+10s T+5m 10s
From Laguna Vista, TX: rises T+10s in the SE, peaks 34°.

More from SpaceX ↗

Before you go

Starship Flight 15 launch FAQ

When is the Starship Flight 15 launch date and time?

Starship Flight 15 (often written Starship 15) is currently targeting December 2026 — the exact date and time have not been announced yet. Status: To Be Determined. Launch dates slip often; the countdown on this page tracks the latest target, or set a free alert to get the final time.

Where does Starship Flight 15 launch from?

From SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA, operated by SpaceX. If you are within a few hundred miles, the city-by-city table on this page shows the expected view from your area and which direction to look.

How far away can you see the Starship Flight 15 launch?

Roughly 305 miles with clear skies: within about 89 miles of the pad the rocket clears the horizon in the first half-minute, and by T+90 seconds it is high enough to be line-of-sight visible around 305 miles away. Night launches can be visible even farther as the exhaust plume catches sunlight. The visibility map on this page shows the range rings and which cities fall inside them.

More upcoming launches

Explore more

Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated September 23, 2026.