SpaceX Recovers Starship from Indian Ocean a Month After Launch, Shipping It Back to Texas
- SpaceX successfully recovered its Starship rocket from the Indian Ocean near Christmas Island in late August 2026, marking the company's largest salvage operation to date.
- The Starship completed its July 24 test flight from Starbase, Texas and became the first to survive the hour-long space-skimming flight while remaining intact and floating.
- The recovered Starship is being shipped back to Starbase in Texas aboard a semisubmersible vessel, with the journey expected to take several months.
- This was the 13th full-up test flight of Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, which Elon Musk intends to use for Mars missions and lunar operations.
- NASA plans to use Starship alongside Blue Moon landers to return astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2028 under the Artemis program.
SpaceX has completed its largest salvage operation to date, recovering its Starship rocket from the Indian Ocean near Christmas Island. The company is now transporting the recovered vehicle back to its Starbase facility in Texas via semisubmersible ship, a journey expected to take several months.
The recovered Starship launched on July 24 from Starbase, Texas for its 13th full-up test flight. Unlike previous test flights, this mission was notable for the rocket surviving the hour-long space-skimming flight and remaining intact and floating in the ocean. SpaceX stated the recovery effort provided engineers with valuable data to accelerate Starship development.
Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, is central to Elon Musk's plans to establish human presence on Mars. NASA has selected Starship, along with Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, to support the Artemis program's goal of returning astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2028.
SpaceX从印度洋打捞星舰，一个月后运回德州
SpaceX完成了迄今最大规模的打捞行动，从圣诞岛附近的印度洋成功打捞星舰火箭。该公司现正通过半潜船将打捞的火箭运回德州Starbase基地，预计耗时数月。
打捞的星舰于7月24日从德州Starbase发射，进行第13次全面测试飞行。与以往测试不同的是，这次任务中火箭成功完成了一小时的太空飞行，并保持完整地浮在海洋中。SpaceX表示此次打捞行动为工程师提供了宝贵数据，有助于加速星舰开发。
星舰是世界上最大最强大的火箭，是埃隆·马斯克建立人类火星基地计划的核心。NASA已选定星舰与蓝色起源的蓝月球着陆器支持阿尔忒弥斯计划，目标是在2028年前将宇航员送回月球。