SpaceX recovery crews are battling increasingly rough seas in the Indian Ocean as they attempt to retrieve the Starship upper stage from its recent test flight.
Following a soft splashdown on July 24 after launching from Starbase, Texas, the 52-metre spacecraft known as Ship 40 became the first Starship upper stage to survive atmospheric reentry intact and remain afloat. Recovery vessels, including the Go Australis alongside tugboats Normand Ranger and Skimmer Tide, have spent days attempting to secure the massive vehicle and guide it back to port.
However, worsening weather conditions and swell have created significant challenges for the recovery team. Addressing the difficulty of the operation, Elon Musk noted that retrieving the full structure may no longer be feasible.
“Unfortunately, ship recovery is not looking good right now,” Musk said. “Nonetheless, we were able to obtain close-up photos of critical regions of the heat shield and engines for future upgrades.”
Even if crew members are unable to tow the spacecraft back to land, engineers have successfully captured detailed photos of the engines and heat shield to help design improvements for upcoming test flights.
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