SpaceX to attempt Starship catch on next flight, Ars Technica Space reports

This is SpaceNexus Daily, for Thursday, October 22, 2026.

Space stocks and money

In the trading session of Wednesday, October 21, the SpaceNexus Pure-Play Index of space stocks rose 3.2 percent, with 30 companies up and 5 down. The largest gain was Eutelsat, up 11.5 percent, and the largest decline was Comtech Telecommunications, down 5.3 percent.

The SpaceNexus Pure-Play Index is an equal-weighted summary of daily price moves that we compute for information. It is not an investable product, no fund tracks it, and it is not investment advice. Full disclaimer

Sources: SpaceNexus Pure-Play Index (Yahoo Finance daily close); SpaceNexus Pure-Play Index (Yahoo Finance daily close); SpaceNexus Pure-Play Index (Yahoo Finance daily close)

Starship catch planned

Ars Technica Space reported that SpaceX will attempt a Starship catch on its next flight, with an eye on a rapid cadence increase. The article's summary quotes the line: "We have had significant constructive engagement with the FAA." Three outlets covered the story: Ars Technica Space, New Space Economy and Teslarati SpaceX.

Sources: Ars Technica Space

Launches ahead

Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch Starlink Group 15-15 from Vandenberg SFB no earlier than 22:40:24 UTC on October 22. Also scheduled for October 23: Rocket Lab's Electron from New Zealand, Long March 6A from Taiyuan and Long March 4B from Jiuquan. Launch Library 2 lists the Electron status as to be confirmed.

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