SpaceX Ship 40 aftermath revealed after 24 Days Sea Floating! Starbase Return Confirmed...

Hello, I'm Kevin and my friend S40 has finally reached Christmas Island after 24 days at sea. Maybe she's there to pick up some early presents from Santa, just kidding. After arriving, SpaceX released several photos of S40 giving us a much closer look at how the ocean affected the spacecraft. So let's take a closer look at its condition, after that we'll cover some hot news including SpaceX's record-breaking turnaround between two Falcon 9 launches and China's new map of the moon. Let's get started on today's episode of Great SpaceX. It's safe to say that interest in the S40 recovery has been enormous and I could see the excitement in the comments on our most recent video. And now I want to take that excitement even further. Officially everyone after 24 days or more than 570 hours since landing, Ship 40 has finally been towed to Christmas Island in Australian territory. This could be an important stop on the next stage of its journey, perhaps understanding how much support S40 has received from the community. SpaceX immediately gifted us some impressive images and video showing the spacecraft's condition. First, there is a 57 second video apparently filmed by a drone showing S40 floating on the ocean with a noisable tilt. That's an interesting situation and I'll discuss it in more detail shortly. SpaceX also released three images from two different angles. The first was taken from one of the recovery vessels, with S40 visible in the distance along with several members of the recovery team. The second angle was taken from S40's nose cone, with Norman Ranger visible in the background. Alongside the footage, SpaceX stated, after approximately 24 days at sea, the SpaceX recovery team successfully guided Starship to a location just off the coast of Christmas Island. Musk also stated, Starship Flight 13 is being recovered from sea. The main subject of these updates is, of course, S40. And after spending so many days floating in the realm of Poseidon, it's clear that the spacecraft doesn't look quite the same as it did immediately after landing. The first thing that really stands out is the large white mark between the common dome and the payload section. That mark almost certainly wasn't created during landing. Looking at its shape, some observers believe it may have been caused by a rope being wrapped around the spacecraft, tightened and subjected to repeated friction. So why would that happen? In my opinion, it's possible that during the early stages of the recovery, SpaceX attached the tow rope to that area, using existing structural attachment points to help pull S40 through the water. As the waves pushed the spacecraft around and its direction changed during towing, the rope could have repeatedly rubbed against the hull, creating those marks. After recognizing the problem and wanting to better protect the engine section, SpaceX may have changed its towing arrangement and attached the rope farther aft, possibly near one of the sea-level engines as suggested by some recent images. Do you think this speculation makes sense? Let me know in the comments while we wait for official confirmation from SpaceX. Next, let's look at S40's floating condition. As I mentioned, the spacecraft is now noticeably tilted, with one side, including the flaps, partially submerged. Some observers believe this could be the result of a storm that passed through the area where S40 was drifting last week. However, the towing configuration may also have contributed. When S40 is towed from the engine section, the towing force is concentrated around that area, which can cause the spacecraft to tilt as it tries to maintain balance around its center of mass. As a result, components such as the aft flaps can spend extended periods in seawater. And you can clearly see the effects. On the aft flaps, sections of the heat shield tiles around the edges are missing, exposing the stainless steel surface underneath. This likely occurred after those areas were submerged. It's possible that the two flaps that spent the most time underwater are in a similar condition. Clearly, the effects of seawater are becoming increasingly visible. Any metal structure left in saltwater for an extended period is vulnerable to corrosion and degradation. The combination of waves, wind, and saltwater can weaken the connection between the tiles and the stainless steel skin. This could be especially significant in areas where adhesive is used to secure the heat shield, since adhesives may be more vulnerable to prolonged exposure than mechanical attachment points. We can also see signs of corrosion around some of the tiles near the nose cone. Drifting in the ocean for this long has certainly been rough on S40, hasn't it? And this situation further reinforces why getting S40 out of the water and onto a transport vessel is so important for the remainder of its journey back to Starbase. SpaceX confirmed this in the same update. A team of SpaceX engineers is on their way to conduct additional analysis on the vehicle in calmer waters before attempting to return it to Starbase. That's certainly good news for everyone who has been rooting for S40. SpaceX isn't giving up on it. So respond with Space S40 in the comments to show your support for the recovery team's efforts. Of course, S40's route back to Starbase remains unpredictable, even after reaching Christmas Island. As I mentioned in a recent episode, Christmas Island has a relatively small port. Its cranes are also limited and may not have enough lifting capacity to move the roughly 100 ton S40 onto land or onto another transport barge. If the recovery vessel doesn't have a suitable crane of its own, that suggests Christmas Island may simply be a temporary stop. At this point, I'm leaning toward the possibility that S40 could eventually be towed to Dampier, one of Australia's larger ports, where more capable infrastructure and heavy lifting equipment are available. But that would mean another journey of more than 1,600 kilometers or around 884 nautical miles. At a towing speed of just 1-2 knots, that trip could take many days. So if possible, I hope SpaceX can bring in a large recovery barge equipped with a heavy lift crane and recover S40 directly at Christmas Island. That would minimize both the travel distance and S40's continued exposure to seawater. Of course, arranging such a vessel would take time, including leasing, positioning, and coordinating the recovery operation. So which option do you think makes the most sense? Let me know in the comment section down below. While we wait for the updates on S40, let's head back to Starbase and check in on Flight 14. Over the past few days, several road closure schedules have been announced for movements from the production site to Massey's. But sadly, none of them appeared to be for S41. The current TFR test window only runs through August 20th, which had me seriously questioning whether a September launch was still possible. But thankfully, things are finally starting to move. A new road closure schedule was announced for the early morning of August 19th from midnight to 4am, again covering a move from the production site to Massey's. But the most important clue was the appearance of the Ship Static Fire Stand. It was moved from the Sanchez site to Megabay 2, strongly signaling that S41 was preparing to roll out. Around this time, S41 was lifted onto the stand for transport to Massey's. By the time you're watching this, it may have already arrived. That gives S41 two days, the 19th and the 20th, within the current TFR window for testing. My guess is that cryogenic testing could happen on the 19th, followed by a static fire on the 20th. I'll keep you updated on the results in the next video. This rollout is a critical step toward Flight 14, and S41 isn't the only vehicle to watch. B-21 still has its static fire test ahead, and its progress would be just as important for the upcoming flight. So stay tuned for the next update. And now let's move on to some other hot industry updates. The first is a new record for the shortest time between two Falcon 9 launches. On the evening of August 15th, SpaceX set another record by launching two Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart. That shattered its previous record of 65 minutes set on August 31st of 2024, with two Starlink missions. Musk later highlighted the achievement, saying, Two major rocket launches almost simultaneously. The first launch took place from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9.12pm EDT on Saturday. It carried eight satellites into low-Earth orbit for GlobalStar, a Louisiana-based telecommunications company. All eight satellites were successfully deployed, with separation beginning about 56.5 minutes after liftoff and continuing for more than six minutes. While that Falcon 9 was still making its way to orbit, another Falcon 9 launched from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on California's Central Coast. Details of the mission remain limited, which isn't surprising given its classified status. However, rocket watchers have made a few educated guesses, with many suggesting a connection to Starshield. Both Saturday's missions also ended with successful booster landings. The Falcon 9 that launched the GlobalStar mission landed back at Cape Canaveral about eight minutes after liftoff, completing its 14th flight. The USSF-366 booster landed about 8.5 minutes after launch on SpaceX's droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific. That booster has now completed 18 missions. These achievements highlight SpaceX's dominance in launch operations and the major advantage of having multiple launch facilities. And if Starship eventually reaches the same level of reusability and launch cadence, that advantage could become even more significant. So let's see what other crazy things SpaceX can accomplish. And now, let's talk about China's latest moon map and why it could matter in the growing space race. Chinese researchers have unveiled a new geological map of the moon, updating the 2024 edition with new scientific findings and revised boundaries for several ancient lunar geological periods. The map, produced at a scale of 1 to 5 million, was revealed by the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences on the 6th of August. It revises the boundaries of the ancient Atkinian, Nectarian, and Imbrian periods. The researchers used the term Atkinian, while it's more commonly known as pre-Nectarian, covering roughly 4.5 to 3.9 billion years ago. The map also incorporates reprocessed spectral data to better define creep terrain, a region of lunar crust enriched in potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus. According to the researchers, this material appears to be more widespread and continuous than previously estimated. State-1 Xinhua quoted Yang Ximing, director of the Institute of Geology, saying, The lunar geologic history has indeed been rewritten, more precise, refined, and systemized. China has already made major contributions through its Chang'e program. Chang'e 5 returned lunar samples in 2020, while Chang'e 6 brought back the first samples from the moon's far side in 2024. And now, China is building increasingly detailed maps and scientific standards to support future exploration. Scientifically, that's impressive. Strategically, it's even more significant. China isn't simply studying the moon. It's building the knowledge and capabilities needed to play a major role in humanity's future lunar presence. With Chang'e 7 also targeting the lunar south pole, the competition is only getting more interesting. I'll keep following the lunar race, so stay tuned for the latest updates. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to leave a like, subscribe to GreatSpaceX, and ring that notification bell so you never miss the latest updates on Starship, SpaceX, and humanity's exciting journey into the future of space exploration. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you in the next one.