SpaceX has successfully brought Starship Ship 40 to a location just off the coast of Christmas Island after approximately 24 days at sea in the Indian Ocean, marking a significant milestone in the vehicle's recovery.
What Happened
Ship 40 launched on July 24, 2026, as part of Starship Flight 13 from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, paired with Booster 20. The mission deployed 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites—the first time functional next-generation satellites flew on a Starship test—and completed an in-space Raptor engine relight before surviving reentry and executing a controlled flip and landing burn that produced the softest splashdown in the Starship program to date. Unlike previous flights where the vehicle typically broke apart after tipping over in the water, Ship 40 remained intact and continued floating on the surface, allowing live SpaceX drone footage to capture valuable Thermal Protection System imagery during the critical post-splashdown window. The recovery vessel GO Australis tracked the spacecraft as it drifted more than 400 kilometers over subsequent days, with additional vessels Normand Ranger and Skimmer Tide joining the effort in the Indian Ocean. Progress was deliberately slow—around one to two knots—due to the unique towing arrangement required for the massive vehicle.
Why It Matters
The successful recovery of an intact flight vehicle after a soft ocean landing provides SpaceX with an unprecedented opportunity to study the effects of the full mission profile on the structure, thermal protection system, and engines under real flight conditions. Engineers will now perform closer inspections in calmer waters before transporting the vehicle back to Starbase for more comprehensive examination. Elon Musk stated that recovering the intact vehicle would provide valuable data otherwise lost and noted that continued high-accuracy splashdowns strengthen the case for accelerating the first ship catch attempt at Starbase, potentially as soon as Flight 14. The heat shield was observed largely intact, though the aft section exhibited some tile loss and rim damage that originated earlier in flight—areas the company continues to refine.
The Bottom Line
Ship 40's performance on Flight 13 demonstrated controlled reentry and landing capabilities while highlighting specific improvements still needed for rapid reuse. With engineers now able to examine the vehicle up close in sheltered waters, data gathered from this recovery will feed directly into future vehicles and support the push toward catching Starship at Starbase.