Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
SpaceX Finally Got Starship Ship 40 Back — Now the Investigation Begins
On July 24, Starship Ship 40 came down from space and made a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Then something happened that changed the entire story: the spacecraft stayed afloat.
For more than three weeks, Ship 40 remained at sea while SpaceX's recovery teams worked through rough conditions to bring it toward Christmas Island. The island sits about 1,200 miles, or 1,900 kilometers, northwest of Broome, Australia, putting the recovery operation far from any conventional Starship infrastructure. On August 7, Elon Musk acknowledged that the recovery was “not looking good,” as SpaceX faced challenging conditions and increasingly rough seas. Now, the vehicle has been inspected, heatshield samples have been collected, and Ship 40 has been loaded onto a semi-submersible vessel for the long trip back to Starbase.
The spectacular photographs are only part of the story.
🎥 *Footage Credits:* SPACEX
🎙️ *Audio:* Voiceover by Scott Leffler -- scottleffler.com
⚖️ *Copyright Disclaimer:*
We use images and content in accordance with the YouTube Fair Use copyright guidelines: [youtube.com/intl/en/about/copyright/fair-use/](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.youtube.com/intl/en/about/copyright/fair-use/)
For any questions regarding copyright, please contact us via Gmail: engineering.tody@gmail.com
#SpaceX #Starship #SpaceXStarship #StarshipShip40 #Ship40 #StarshipFlight13 #StarshipRecovery #StarshipReentry #StarshipHeatshield #StarshipNews
SpaceX Finally Got Starship Ship 40 Back — Now the Investigation Begins
On July 24, Starship Ship 40 came down from space and made a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Then something happened that changed the entire story: the spacecraft stayed afloat.
For more than three weeks, Ship 40 remained at sea while SpaceX's recovery teams worked through rough conditions to bring it toward Christmas Island. The island sits about 1,200 miles, or 1,900 kilometers, northwest of Broome, Australia, putting the recovery operation far from any conventional Starship infrastructure. On August 7, Elon Musk acknowledged that the recovery was “not looking good,” as SpaceX faced challenging conditions and increasingly rough seas. Now, the vehicle has been inspected, heatshield samples have been collected, and Ship 40 has been loaded onto a semi-submersible vessel for the long trip back to Starbase.
The spectacular photographs are only part of the story.
🎥 *Footage Credits:* SPACEX
🎙️ *Audio:* Voiceover by Scott Leffler -- scottleffler.com
⚖️ *Copyright Disclaimer:*
We use images and content in accordance with the YouTube Fair Use copyright guidelines: [youtube.com/intl/en/about/copyright/fair-use/](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.youtube.com/intl/en/about/copyright/fair-use/)
For any questions regarding copyright, please contact us via Gmail: engineering.tody@gmail.com
#SpaceX #Starship #SpaceXStarship #StarshipShip40 #Ship40 #StarshipFlight13 #StarshipRecovery #StarshipReentry #StarshipHeatshield #StarshipNews
