Overview
- SpaceX recovered the Starship upper stage intact after Flight 13, which splashed down in the Indian Ocean on July 24 and was towed to Christmas Island for hands‑on inspection.
- Elon Musk posted on August 20 that the company will “probably catch the ship with the tower in a few months” and that the first reflight could come by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
- Engineers are focusing on technical verifications from the Flight 13 data, especially heat‑shield performance and the ability to relight Ship’s engines, which are harder to prove than for the booster.
- Regulatory approval, notably from the FAA, must be secured before a mid‑air tower catch is attempted, and permitting has helped push the try out by weeks to months.
- If the tower catch succeeds it would enable rapid, ground‑based reuse that could cut launch costs and speed satellite deployments while accelerating SpaceX’s plans for lunar and Mars missions.