SpaceX has released a new documentary film detailing the development of its Starship rocket system. The footage includes archival material from early Falcon 9 testing, night landings of first stages, and operations within the company's mission control center.
The film highlights modern Starship testing, including the recovery of the Ship 40 prototype from the Indian Ocean. It also covers the production of thermal protection tiles at a facility dubbed the bakery and testing of the heat shield during atmospheric entry at speeds near Mach 25.
The core focus of the documentary is the transition from expendable rockets to a fully reusable system designed for rapid turnaround. SpaceX aims to fundamentally shift the economics of space flight through this approach.
The company has begun implementing reusability on Starship. Plans are in place to install two thermal protection tiles salvaged from Ship 40 onto the Ship 41 prototype, marking the first instance of reusing these specific components.
