The 171 foot craft is the first Starship upper stage recovered after flying to space. Following its July 24 launch and a splashdown in the Indian Ocean, the vessel was retrieved by the Forte, a 711 foot heavy lift vessel. Ship 40 then traveled a 12,400 mile journey back to Texas over 75 days to facilitate the current structural analysis.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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SpaceX Lifts First Recovered Starship Vertical to Analyze Flown Hardware
Tech7 days ago
Ship 40 entered MegaBay 2 at the company's Starbase facility on Oct. 12 for physical inspection by engineering teams. The spacecraft was subsequently positioned upright alongside three other vehicles to allow specialists to study its Raptor engines, avionics, and heatshield after its return from space. SpaceX intends to use the first of its kind flight data to improve the design of reusable launch hardware.
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