SpaceX Recovers Intact Ship 40 From Indian Ocean as Ship 41 Readies for Engine Testing

SpaceX is recovering the intact Ship 40 from the Indian Ocean after the vehicle executed a soft landing on Flight 13, marking the first time a Starship upper stage has survived splashdown rather than being destroyed. At the same time, teams are preparing Ship 41 for engine testing at Massey's and pressing ahead with Pad 2 work toward a potential Flight 14 as early as late August.

Ship 40 performed a controlled flip and landing burn, igniting its engines, flipping vertically, swinging into position, down-selecting to two engines, and soft-landing in the water. In previous flights the toppling after splashdown destroyed the vehicle. This time Ship 40 remained intact, allowing SpaceX drone cameras to capture clear, close-up views of the thermal protection system while the ship floated.

Elon Musk confirmed SpaceX dispatched recovery vessels rather than scuttling the ship or allowing it to sink, and noted the landing accuracy would have permitted a catch by the tower arms. Ship 40 drifted more than 400 kilometers as GO Australis tracked it, with Normand Ranger and Skimmer Tide later joining in the Indian Ocean, Normand Ranger arriving first. Towing the vehicle to shore may require several additional days, after which SpaceX can inspect the ship in Australia or transport it to Starbase.

The intact recovery gives engineers direct physical access to the heatshield after a complete flight. In-space imagery from Starlink Version 3 satellites deployed on Flight 13 shows the heatshield largely intact despite elevated aerodynamic pressure during ascent. The principal concern lies in the aft section, where several tiles are missing and the bottom rim shows damage. Satellite views establish that the damage originated earlier in flight. SpaceX also released a time-lapse assembled from four cameras on a single satellite, spanning roughly six minutes of real time, recording the ship's attitude adjustment to present its heatshield, repeated flap movements, and aft vents activating ahead of the planned Raptor in-space relight.

COMPASS planning materials list August 20 as a potential date for Flight 14, updated from an earlier August 13 reference. At Pad 2, teams began inspections and repairs immediately after Flight 13. The pad surface and berm walls survived largely intact, while crews positioned lifts inside the flame trench to inspect the walls and flame diverter and installed burn plates on sections that absorbed higher heat loads than anticipated. The extended static fire of Booster 20 remains a likely contributor to the additional thermal stress. Workers have also removed components from the tower arms in a sequence consistent with preparations for a possible ship catch.

Inside the Mega Bays, Booster 21 has completed its cryogenic test campaign and is receiving engines ahead of its static-fire sequence. Ship 41 finished cryogenic testing earlier, has been fitted with engines, and is prepared to roll out to Massey's for engine testing as early as later this week. A road closure from Production to Massey's has been filed for this week.

The intact recovery supplies engineers with concrete evidence to refine the thermal protection system for subsequent missions, and the vehicle's structural survival after a full flight demonstrates SpaceX operating two Starship vehicles in parallel.

Watch for Ship 40's arrival in Australia, the potential start of Ship 41's static-fire campaign later this week, and the August 20 Flight 14 window, which remains subject to vehicle and pad progress.