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yesterday

SpaceX Begins Recovery of Floating Starship Upper Stage in Indian Ocean

Engineers will inspect the intact Ship 40 heat shield and flight telemetry to judge reentry performance and prospects for rapid reuse.

A satellite image taken on August 2 shows Skimmer Tide floating near SpaceX's Starship after it landed in the Indian Ocean.
Image
Starship floats in the Indian Ocean after its July 24 test flight from Starbase. Previous Starships have exploded before or upon splashdown, leaving SpaceX with a new challenge to recover the craft. 
A satellite image taken on August 3 shows the Normand Ranger and SpaceX's Starship rocket. Attached to the nose of Starship is a long line.

Overview

  • During the July 24 test flight Ship 40 made a much gentler splashdown than earlier prototypes and stayed airtight and buoyant, enabling an unplanned recovery opportunity.
  • Commercial satellite images from Vantor and ship‑tracking data show Norwegian tugboats Normand Ranger and Skimmer Tide operating alongside the vehicle in the Indian Ocean while SpaceX’s support ship Go Australis has departed the site.
  • SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed on July 28 that the company would attempt recovery and SpaceX says crews plan hands‑on inspections to remove and examine ceramic heat‑shield tiles and download onboard telemetry.
  • Engineers hope the recovered hardware and data will reveal how the heat shield and reentry controls held up and will directly shape decisions about landing methods, in‑space refueling plans, and timelines for reusing Starship.
  • The floating upper stage’s retrieval contrasts with the test’s other outcome, a Super Heavy booster that failed to relight, suffered a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, and remains a separate technical and recovery challenge.