Space & Satellites
SpaceX Tows Intact Starship Ship 40 to Christmas Island
SpaceX completed a 24-day tow of Starship Ship 40 to Christmas Island after the upper stage survived splashdown intact.
This is original reporting and analysis by AirPro News.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has successfully towed the largely intact upper stage of its Starship launch vehicle to the coast of Christmas Island following a 24-day recovery operation in the Indian Ocean.
The arrival of the spacecraft, designated Ship 40, provides the manufacturer with a previously unstudied physical test article. Ship 40 splashed down on July 24, 2026, at the conclusion of the Flight 13 test mission. Rather than sinking or breaking apart upon ocean impact, the vehicle remained afloat, prompting an extended towing operation by the SpaceX Recovery team through rough seas to reach the calmer waters of the Australian territory.
Unprecedented intact recovery operation
The successful retrieval of Ship 40 marks a significant milestone for the Starship program. Prior test flights concluded with the upper stage either breaking up during reentry or sinking shortly after splashdown. The survival of Ship 40 allowed recovery crews to secure the vehicle and begin a slow transit toward land.
In a statement released on August 18, 2026, SpaceX confirmed the arrival, noting that the recovery team successfully guided the vehicle to a location just off the coast of Christmas Island after approximately 24 days at sea.
Engineering evaluation and logistical hurdles
With the vehicle now secured in calmer waters, the focus shifts to physical inspection and data gathering. SpaceX confirmed that a team of engineers is currently en route to the island to conduct additional analysis on the spacecraft.
The company stated it will evaluate the vehicle before attempting to return it to the Starbase manufacturing and launch facility in Texas. However, transporting the 52-meter-tall spacecraft presents substantial logistical challenges. The port infrastructure on Christmas Island was not designed to handle a vehicle of this size, and it remains unverified whether Ship 40 can be practically loaded onto a transport vessel intact.
AirPro News analysis
The physical recovery of a Starship upper stage offers invaluable engineering data that telemetry alone cannot provide. We expect SpaceX engineers to focus heavily on the thermal protection system, specifically the adhesion and structural integrity of the heat tiles after enduring orbital-velocity reentry temperatures. Additionally, inspecting the flap hinges and aerodynamic surfaces for stress fractures will directly inform the iterative design process. Even if logistical constraints prevent Ship 40 from returning to Texas in one piece, the on-site material analysis conducted at Christmas Island will yield critical insights for future vehicle production.
Ongoing Starship program acceleration
As recovery operations continue in the Indian Ocean, SpaceX is accelerating its manufacturing and testing cadence domestically. At the company’s facilities, preparations for subsequent flights are actively underway. Booster 22 is currently fully stacked, while components for Booster 23 are moving through the Starfactory production line.
Photo Credit: SpaceX