SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas
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SpaceX has begun shipping Starship Ship 40 back to Texas after recovering the vehicle from the Indian Ocean, giving engineers access to the first Starship upper stage to survive a spaceflight and remain intact after splashdown. Ship 40 launched from Starbase on July 24 during Starship’s 13th test flight. After a controlled return, it floated for 24 days before recovery teams towed it to calmer waters near Australia’s Christmas Island. Engineers inspected the 52-meter spacecraft before loading it onto the semi-submersible vessel Forte for the roughly 20,000-kilometer journey to Starbase. SpaceX said the recovery provides valuable data for continued Starship development. NASA is developing a Starship Human Landing System with SpaceX for Artemis missions, while NASA targets the first crewed lunar landing of its revised campaign for 2028. The recovered vehicle remains a test article, and its return does not establish operational readiness or guarantee NASA’s schedule. Further testing remains.
Timeline
- On May 21, Flight 12 preparations encountered Starship 3 delays.
- On May 22, Flight 12 launched but suffered recovery setbacks.
- On June 25, Ship 40 completed its single-engine static fire.
- On July 1, Ship 40 completed its six-engine static fire.
- On July 16, Flight 13 launch attempt aborted after anomalies.
- On July 24, Flight 13 launched successfully from Starbase, Texas.
- On July 24, Ship 40 completed controlled Indian Ocean splashdown.
- On August 7, Musk said recovery prospects were not promising.
- On August 18, recovery teams guided Ship 40 near Christmas.
- On August 24, Forte began loading Ship 40 for transport.
- On August 27, engineers inspected Ship 40 before final loading.
- On August 28, Forte departed Christmas Island carrying Ship 40.
- Over coming weeks, engineers will analyze returned hardware for lessons.
- Over coming months, Starship testing will incorporate Ship 40 findings.
- By 2028, NASA targets crewed lunar landing using commercial landers.
Sources
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