SpaceX Nears Starship Recovery After Nearly 1 Month Adrift in the Indian Ocean
SpaceX says the intact upper stage drifted for 24 days and will be inspected for damage and salvage value before any return to Starbase.
- On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, SpaceX successfully towed the 52m Starship upper stage, called Ship 40, to Christmas Island after a 24-day recovery operation in the Indian Ocean.
- Launched July 24 from Starbase, Texas, the upper stage of Flight 13 achieved an intact splashdown, defying the typical rapid disintegration of previous test flights in the Indian Ocean.
- Despite initial concerns that recovery was "not looking good," CEO Elon Musk admitted, SpaceX teams overcame challenging conditions and rough seas to secure the vehicle for forensic inspection.
- Local residents gathered along Christmas Island's coastline to view the massive rocket, prompting officials to establish a 500m exclusion zone around the spacecraft and support vessels.
- SpaceX engineers plan to transport the salt-water-exposed vehicle to Texas for analysis to improve future designs, as experts warn of rising space debris challenges in the southern hemisphere.
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) SpaceX's large spacecraft 'Starship' was recovered intact 24 days after drifting in the ocean.
Engineers from billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX are currently en route to Australia's remote Christmas Island. Their goal is, if possible, to recover a piece of the Spaceship spacecraft that crashed into the Indian Ocean south of the island.
After the 13th Starship test flight, the rocket upper stage was watered in the Indian Ocean as planned in July. Now, engineers are to investigate them before a return transport to Texas is attempted.
'Incredible': SpaceX rocket spotted off Christmas Island coast
A SpaceX rocket that blasted off from Texas in July and crashed into the Indian Ocean hadn't been seen since - but now Christmas Island residents say they have spotted it being towed just off their coast.
The four-ton rocket aroused a lot of interest among locals.
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