Okay besties, SpaceX just gave us a masterclass in “almost but not quite” — and honestly, there’s a money lesson hiding in this rocket story. 🚀
So here’s what went down: SpaceX’s Starship Flight 15 lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:47 p.m. ET, and the whole world was watching for something called a “double-catch” — catching both stages of the Starship rocket for the very first time. Think of it like trying to catch your coffee cup AND the saucer mid-air. Ambitious? Absolutely.
The upper stage — that’s Starship itself — nailed it. It reached orbit at 6:13 p.m. ET, which is only the second time SpaceX has pulled that off. SpaceX’s Dan Huot called it “a really great moment” on the livestream, and the payload of 26 of Starlink’s newest satellites is currently being deployed. So yes, actual wins happened.
But the lower half — the Super Heavy booster — got diverted off the coast, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, and then burst into flames. SpaceX hasn’t shared details on what went wrong. Ouch.
Here’s the thing though: reaching orbit doesn’t guarantee anything comes next. There’s a catch attempt (pun fully intended) scheduled for 4:17 p.m. ET tomorrow, when Starship is supposed to reenter the atmosphere. SpaceX said before launch that it would only attempt the catch if all the systems needed to guide it through the atmosphere and into the tower were healthy. Fingers crossed, but no promises.
Why should you care? Because money.
Let’s talk numbers, because I know that’s why you’re really here. 💅
SPCX closed at $139.11 on Nov. 13, down 0.59%. And while one fiery booster might feel like drama, the real story is what a successful catch means for the stock.
Even without a first catch, pulling off a second catch of Starship would be huge — it’s a major step toward SpaceX’s goal of a fully and rapidly reusable, heavy lift rocket. And that program is a major part of SpaceX’s entire growth thesis.
Here’s a stat my coaching clients always find surprising: in the third quarter, SpaceX brought in $14.6 billion in revenue, and the Space segment accounted for just $1.8 billion of that. Read that again. Starship isn’t really about the company’s top line — for the moment, that is.
It’s like a business that makes most of its money from one product while quietly building the thing that could eventually change everything. That’s not a reason to panic — it’s a reason to pay attention.
The long game (and why patience is a portfolio strategy)
In the near term, an operational Starship program’s main job is simple: get as many Starlink satellites into orbit as quickly and cheaply as possible. Fill up the network, keep the money machine humming.
But long term? Once Starlink is built out, Starship would let SpaceX massively expand its launch service business — and the top line will undoubtedly grow significantly.
Here’s the economics in plain English: SpaceX’s current workhorse, Falcon 9, reuses its booster but throws away the upper stage on every single flight. Imagine buying a new car every time you took a road trip. Insane, right? The ability to reuse an entire rocket would drive down the cost of getting payloads of all sizes into space, which helps SpaceX win bigger contracts from enterprise and government customers alike.
Now, full transparency: SpaceX is aiming for full Starship capability around the end of 2027, but this program has seen significant setbacks and delays. A successful catch tomorrow would go a long way toward reassuring investors who are nervous about more delays. This is exactly why I tell my coaching clients: when you invest in innovation, you’re also investing in patience. Timelines slip. Boosters burn. That’s the price of admission.
The real lesson: the hard part is coming home
Getting to space with a full load of Starlink satellites is a good day. But that booster going into the water and bursting into flames is a reminder of something important — the hard part of this program, the very thing that makes it special, isn’t getting to space. It’s getting back to Earth in one piece, over and over. That’s what will change the economics of space.
And honestly? Same goes for your money. The flashy launch moments — the hot stock tip, the big win — that’s the easy part. The real wealth-building magic is in the repeatable stuff: automating your contributions, sticking with your plan when the market dips, coming back to your budget week after week even when you slip. Reusability isn’t just a rocket strategy, babe. It’s a life strategy.
Here’s what I’d do if I were watching this as an investor: I wouldn’t make any moves based on one flight, good or bad. I’d zoom out, look at the full growth picture, and decide if this fits my long-term strategy. One fiery booster doesn’t change a thesis — and neither does one perfect orbit.
So here’s my challenge to you this week: take one “reusable” money habit and lock it in. Auto-transfer $50 to your investing account, set up that Roth IRA contribution, or finally open that high-yield savings account. Small actions, repeated over and over, are literally how empires (and rocket companies) get built.
If you want my no-jargon breakdown of how to start investing — even if you’ve got $100 and a slight fear of the stock market — DM me the word LAUNCH on Instagram or hop on my mailing list. Your future rich-girl self will thank you. ✨
