Starship heads to Texas after Indian Ocean recovery

SpaceX recovered its Starship from the Indian Ocean near Christmas Island in what’s described as the company’s biggest salvage mission yet. The recovered vehicle, launched July 24 from Starbase, Texas, survived the space-skimming flight and remained intact during the recovery. The Starship is being shipped back to Starbase, Texas, on a multi-month voyage aboard a semi-submersible carrier, with Forte set to deliver it. Recovery teams faced challenging 30-mph winds and 14-foot seas but collected heatshield samples and data to inform improvements for future vehicles. The operation involved coordination with the Australian Space Agency and several ships and marked a milestone for SpaceX as the first Starship recovered after flight. President Donald Trump has endorsed Moon and Mars destinations, and NASA relies on Starship for Artemis-era plans, highlighting the high-profile attention to the program.