SpaceX brings Starship back to launch site for the first time — three months after launch

SpaceX has brought a Starship upper stage back to its launch site for the first time after a flight to space. The spacecraft is now standing vertically inside the company's Megabay hangar at Starbase, where engineers will inspect its heat shield, Raptor engines and avionics to gather data for future reusable vehicles.

Ship 40 launched on July 24 atop a Super Heavy booster during Starship's 13th test flight. The spacecraft completed a suborbital mission and made a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Unlike previous Starship upper stages, which were destroyed after hitting the water, Ship 40 remained largely intact and afloat, allowing SpaceX to attempt a recovery.

Getting the 52-meter spacecraft home proved far slower than sending it into space. Crews towed it through rough seas for 24 days before reaching waters off Australia's Christmas Island in August. Engineers inspected the vehicle there and collected heat-shield samples before loading it onto the semi-submersible transport ship Forte for the journey to Texas.

Forte reached the Port of Brownsville on October 7. Ship 40 was then transported overland to Starbase, lifted upright and moved into the Megabay hangar alongside three new Starship upper stages. SpaceX announced its return on October 13.

The recovery gives SpaceX its first opportunity to examine a Starship upper stage in detail after launch, reentry and splashdown. The company says the vehicle will provide “first-of-its-kind data on a flown Starship heatshield, Raptor engines, avionics, and more.”

SpaceX has already recovered several Super Heavy boosters using the mechanical arms of its launch tower, but it has yet to catch a Starship upper stage in the same way. Studying Ship 40 could help engineers improve the spacecraft's thermal protection and other systems ahead of future flights and recovery attempts.

Elon Musk has said Flight 15 could include the first attempt to catch a returning Starship upper stage with the launch tower's mechanical arms, provided the vehicle and its systems are ready. SpaceX has not announced an official date for Starship's next flight.