Overview
- The SpaceX recovery team guided Ship 40 to waters just off Christmas Island after roughly 24 days adrift and then towed it into shallower, sheltered bays for hands‑on checks.
- Ship 40 had splashed down intact on July 24 after Flight 13 and during the mission deployed 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites and completed an in‑space Raptor engine relight.
- A team of SpaceX engineers is en route to perform close inspections in calmer conditions to assess tile loss, rim damage and corrosion from prolonged saltwater exposure.
- The long salvage used multiple recovery vessels, air‑filled fenders and very slow towing speeds of about one to two knots, and an exclusion zone was set as locals watched from shore.
- Findings from the inspection will directly affect reuse plans, the timing and design of the next flight and landing‑catch attempts, and likely shape regulatory scrutiny of recovery and debris procedures.