The vehicle was towed to Christmas Island, Australia, marking the first intact recovery of a Starship upper stage following a flight test.
After 24 days battling challenging conditions and increasingly rough seas,
SpaceX engineers guided the upper stage of its Starship rocket, designated Ship 40, to shore near Australia’s Christmas Island. The recovery, announced on August 18, 2026, came after CEO Elon Musk had declared the mission not looking good
just days earlier. The 52-meter-tall section, which survived a controlled reentry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean following the July 24 flight test, was hauled from international waters to a staging point for further analysis.
A Race Against the Elements
The recovery effort began immediately after Ship 40 landed upright in the Indian Ocean on July 24, following a suborbital flight that marked the 13th test of SpaceX’s Starship program. While the first-stage booster, Super Heavy, had already made a water landing, the upper stage’s survival was unforeseen. SpaceX initially focused on gathering telemetry data rather than recovery, but the vehicle’s ability to float and transmit signals prompted an emergency salvage operation.
By August 7, the mission faced setbacks. Musk posted on social media that recovery is not looking good right now,
citing challenging conditions and increasingly rough seas.
Teams aboard boats struggled to secure a line to Ship 40, which had become a drifting target in the open ocean. Despite the odds, SpaceX persisted, and by August 18, the upper stage was safely towed to waters off Christmas Island, an Australian territory 840 nautical miles northwest of the mainland.
A First for Starship
The recovery of Ship 40 represents a historic milestone for SpaceX. No previous Starship upper stage had survived reentry and been deliberately retrieved from the ocean. While the vehicle showed signs of damage—missing heat-shield tiles and saltwater exposure—engineers described it as “intact” in the sense that it remained in one piece and was not scattered wreckage. The stage will now be studied in calmer waters before being returned to Texas for analysis.
Dr. Hadrien Devillepoix, lead scientist at the Desert Fireball Network at Curtin University, emphasized the significance of the recovery. The idea of being able to reuse all of the rocket stages is quite cool,
he said, noting that previous efforts had focused on the first stage. The upper stage’s survival opens new possibilities for space agencies and private companies aiming to reduce costs through reusable technology.
Local Impact and Broader Implications
The recovery drew attention from local communities, particularly on Christmas Island, where residents described the sight of the massive spacecraft as “HUGE.” David Watchorn, chair of the Christmas Island Tourism Association, noted that the event sparked hopes for increased tourism, though an exclusion zone was established to prevent recreational vessels from approaching the area.
Space archaeologist Alice Gorman of Flinders University highlighted the growing challenges of space debris. While Ship 40 appeared “pretty intact,” she warned that rocket bodies could pose risks if they contain toxic materials or leftover fuel. The Australian Space Agency confirmed that SpaceX had towed the vehicle to Christmas Island after reentry, with federal officials engaging in recovery discussions.
The images underscored the scale of the Starship project, which SpaceX aims to use for future missions.
As SpaceX prepares to analyze Ship 40, the recovery underscores both the technical challenges and the potential of reusable rocket technology. While the vehicle is unlikely to fly again due to saltwater damage, the data gathered could inform future designs. For now, the upper stage remains a floating testament to the company’s resilience—and a reminder of the complexities of space exploration.
