SpaceX retrieves Starship prototype from Indian Ocean after July test flight
SpaceX has recovered its latest Starship test vehicle from the Indian Ocean and is preparing to transport it to Texas for analysis, marking the first time the full-scale rocket returned intact.
SpaceX announced that its most recent Starship prototype, launched on July 24 from the company's Texas facility, was recovered from the Indian Ocean near Christmas Island. The vehicle, which completed an hour-long suborbital flight, remained afloat and undamaged, allowing engineers to retrieve data for further development.
The company shared images of the recovery operation and thanked the recovery team for working in challenging conditions. > "Congratulations to the entire SpaceX Recovery team for battling through challenging conditions to give our engineers access to a wealth of data to continue rapidly developing Starship," the firm posted on X.
Starship is intended for future missions to the Moon and Mars, with NASA planning to use the vehicle for crewed lunar landings as early as 2028. The recovery is expected to be followed by a multi-month transport of the prototype back to SpaceX’s Texas base for detailed examination.