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SpaceX's Starship 40 Shows Why Rocket Recovery Might Be Even Harder Than It Seems
bgr.com • • technology
Key Points:
- On July 24, 2026, SpaceX successfully launched its thirteenth test flight of the Starship rocket, marking the second flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, with Ship 40 becoming the first Starship to survive a soft splashdown.
- Ship 40 traveled over a thousand miles from its Indian Ocean splashdown to Christmas Island, facing rough seas during recovery, before being lifted onto the semi-submersible vessel Forte for transport back to SpaceX's Starbase in Texas.
- The recovery of Ship 40 allows SpaceX engineers to examine critical components like the heat shield and engines, providing valuable real-world data to improve future Starship iterations.
- SpaceX plans to attempt catching Starship with the launch tower in upcoming flights, pending regulatory approval, aiming to demonstrate advanced control and alignment capabilities for rapid reuse.
- The company continues to pursue ambitious goals, including developing Starship for interplanetary missions carrying up to 100 people, supporting NASA's Artemis moon mission, and investing $100 billion in a new launch site in Louisiana.
