Why hasn't the 'Blaze Star' exploded yet? Astronomers weigh in on what to expect

space.com Nov 15, 2026

Why hasn’t the ‘Blaze Star’ exploded yet? Astronomers weigh in on what to expect

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Nov 15, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Astronomers predict that the binary system T Coronae Borealis, a white dwarf accreting from a red giant, will erupt in a nova explosion within the next few years. The white dwarf has been gathering material for about 80 years, reaching a critical mass that triggers a dramatic flare. Experts note the difficulty of precise timing due to uncertain accretion rates and trigger mass, but observations suggest the event is imminent. The eruption will brighten the system from magnitude +10 to +1.7, visible to the naked eye for a brief period.

💡 Why It Matters

· The impending nova offers a rare chance to study the physics of stellar explosions in real time, providing insights into mass transfer and accretion processes that shape binary evolution.

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On this day in space! Nov. 15, 1988: The 300-foot Green Bank…

On November 15, 1988, the 300‑foot Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia collapsed at 9:46 p.m. despite clear skies and calm winds. Staff discovered a heap of twisted steel the next morning; investigators traced the failure to a gusset plate, one of four critical connectors that had not been designed for the structure’s 26‑year service life. The telescope, once the world’s largest radio dish, had required major upgrades in 1970 because its surface warped under weight, snow and maintenance. Its sudden loss ended a decade of observations that contributed to dark‑matter research, pulsar origins and the Green Bank 6 cm all‑sky survey. Construction of a larger, more sensitive Green Bank Telescope began three years later and entered science operations in 2001.

💡 The disaster accelerated the transition to a modern, higher‑performance instrument, ensuring the United States retained a premier platform for groundbreaking radio‑astronomy discoveries.

space.com · Nov 15

‘Now everything changes’: SpaceX catches Starship upper stage for 1st time ever…

SpaceX successfully captured the upper stage of its Starship megarocket, Ship 42, on November 14, marking the first time the vehicle’s upper stage has been recovered by the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms. The catch followed Flight 15, which launched on November 13 from Starbase, Texas, and achieved orbit, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. While the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, Ship 42 descended from orbit and was gently secured by Mechazilla’s arms, a milestone for full rocket reuse.

💡 The first upper‑stage recovery demonstrates that SpaceX can retrieve and potentially refurbish the entire Starship vehicle, a critical step toward rapid, cost‑effective reflight and the company’s vision of dense satellite constellations.

space.com · Nov 15

Why did Starship Flight 15 booster abort ‘chopsticks’ landing catch? SpaceX still…

SpaceX’s Starship Flight 15 booster aborted its landing attempt after the vehicle’s first stage failed to secure the “chopsticks” landing catch mechanism. The booster, which had successfully completed the launch and first stage separation, lost the catch during the final descent, prompting an automatic abort and a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Engineers are reviewing telemetry and hardware to determine why the catch failed, as the incident could affect future Starship landing reliability.

💡 The failure exposes a critical vulnerability in Starship’s autonomous landing system, potentially delaying the company’s reusable launch cadence.

cleantechnica.com · Nov 15

Rocket Fuel: The Last Frontier For Natural Gas

SpaceX is becoming one of the nation’s biggest new natural‑gas customers as it builds dedicated pipelines to secure methane for its Starship rockets. The company’s Coastal Connect Services is constructing a 32.4‑mile line linking Cape Canaveral to Kinder Morgan and Energy Transfer infrastructure, while its Lone Star Mineral Development affiliate will operate an 8‑mile “Starpipe” that feeds into a 145‑mile network serving the Texas launch complex at Starbase. Both projects aim to process and liquefy pipeline gas into liquid methane on‑site, reducing reliance on external suppliers. In parallel, SpaceX has obtained approvals for a $100 billion expansion in Louisiana, dubbed “Project Osprey,” which will host a new Starbase city, dozens of launch towers and on‑site fuel production, further cementing the firm’s demand for natural gas.

💡 Controlling its own methane supply lets SpaceX scale launch cadence without fuel bottlenecks, directly tying U.S. gas infrastructure growth to the commercial space race.

space.com · Nov 15

What’s next for SpaceX’s Starship after epic Flight 15 chopsticks catch?

SpaceX’s Starship completed its 15th test flight on Nov. 13‑14, achieving the first successful “double‑catch” of the upper stage (Ship) by the tower’s “chopstick” arms while the Super Heavy booster aborted its return and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico after a low‑fuel alarm. The soft landing of Ship, 22.5 hours after liftoff, marks the first time the upper stage has been recovered intact, a milestone SpaceX calls “the holy grail of spaceflight.” The company plans to make such recoveries routine to enable rapid inspection, refurbishment and reflight, aiming for a cadence of up to 10,000 Starship launches per year by 2030 to support megaconstellations such as a 100,000‑satellite Starlink V3 network and a one‑million‑satellite Starmind AI constellation. NASA has also selected Starship for crewed lunar landings under Artemis IV, slated for 2028.

💡 Recovering the Starship upper stage validates the rapid‑turnaround model needed for the massive launch volume required to build unprecedented satellite constellations and to support crewed lunar missions.

teslarati.com · Nov 15

SpaceX makes history, catching Starship from orbit for the first time

SpaceX recovered the Starship upper stage, Ship 42, by catching it with the launch‑tower’s chopstick arms on Saturday, marking the first time an orbital rocket’s upper stage has returned to its launch site. The vehicle launched Friday on Flight 15, carrying 26 Starlink V3 satellites, three of which filmed the heat shield and confirmed its condition for re‑entry, allowing controllers to skip a splash‑down contingency. After 14 orbits, Ship 42 fired its engines, re‑entered and was secured by the tower. The companion Super Heavy booster failed to return, aborting over the Gulf of Mexico and later terminating in the water due to a GNC issue and propellant shortfall. Elon Musk said the loss does not affect the schedule for fully reusable Starship operations.

💡 Recovering the upper stage validates the most challenging part of Starship’s full‑reuse model, unlocking the economics required for large‑scale satellite launches and in‑orbit refueling missions.