SpaceX has successfully offloaded the Starship Ship 40 prototype in Texas following its return from a mission. Aerial footage captured by photographer Jerry Pike shows the spacecraft alongside the transport vessel Forte near Brownsville. The ship was subsequently prepared for transport to the Starbase facility.
The prototype participated in the 13th test flight on July 24, 2026, alongside the Booster 20 accelerator. During this mission, the craft deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites, performed an in-space engine restart, and executed a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This marked the first instance of a Starship upper stage surviving atmospheric reentry and splashdown with its hull intact.
Following the recovery, tugboats transported the vehicle to Christmas Island over a 24-day period for initial inspections of its structure and heat shield. In late August, the semi-submersible vessel Forte loaded the spacecraft and traveled approximately 17,000 kilometers around the Cape of Good Hope and across the Atlantic, arriving in Brownsville on October 7.
Engineers are now conducting a detailed analysis of the recovered hardware. Data gathered from the examination of Ship 40 will be utilized to inform the ongoing development of the Starship program.
