It Happened! Starship S40 on Board Back Home SOONER Than Expected...

It's S40 again, everyone. I hope you're not bored with the news about it because its journey has been full of dramatic twists. And now the floating phase may finally be coming to an end. A massive barge appears to have beaten the other candidates and could soon have the honor of bringing S40 one step closer to Starbase. So, which vessel is it? And what will the next leg of S40's journey look like? Let's find out on today's episode of Great SpaceX. It's safe to say that SpaceX is currently demonstrating its global reach. On one side of the earth, teams at Starbase are actively preparing for flight 14. And on the other side, in the eastern Indian Ocean on Christmas Island, a place you probably haven't ever heard of before, another team is working to bring the hero of the previous flight, S40, home. And you know what? I've recently found S40's journey strangely similar to my favorite manga, One Piece. Just like the pirate crews in that story, S40 needed a sturdy vessel to survive the harshness of the ocean. It's nice when my hobbies suddenly come together like this. But let's get back to the main story. What can we expect to happen to S40 now? After 24 days adrift, S40 was towed back to Christmas Island by Norman Ranger. SpaceX later announced the milestone on X, stating, 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. At the time, several possibilities were being discussed. One of my most frequently mentioned was Dong Bang Giant No. 2 because of its location and travel route. But now, another candidate appears to have emerged. And that is Forte, a heavy lift vessel. Forte previously departed from Batu Amphar Port in Batam, Indonesia. And the most interesting part is its destination, Christmas Island, where S40 is currently waiting. The vessel departed on the 20th and was expected to reach Christmas Island around the weekend of the 23rd. To make that journey quickly, Forte is traveling at around 13 knots, allowing it to cover roughly 300 nautical miles per day. That speed is particularly valuable because it could minimize the amount of additional time S40 spends exposed to the ocean. And Forte certainly has the size to handle the job. Its cargo deck is approximately 177.6 meters long and 43 meters wide, while its carrying capacity is around 48,000 to 50,000 tons. So, S40 is well within its capabilities. But there's another reason Forte may be an excellent choice. It's not just a heavy lift vessel, it's also semi-submersible. That means Forte can partially submerge itself, allowing its cargo deck to sink well below the waterline. Its cargo deck can sit approximately 13 meters below the water surface, while the vessel's submerged draft can reach around 26 meters. And that could be extremely useful at Christmas Island. As we've discussed, the island's port is relatively small and doesn't have the enormous cranes needed to simply lift a roughly 100 ton starship out of the water. Forte's semi-submersible design could bypass that problem entirely. And amazingly, this concept has already been simulated by a friend of mine, Chrome Kiwi. They always come up with crazy ideas that manage to surprise even me. So definitely check out their x-page for more interesting starship knowledge. The basic concept is fascinating. Forte would approach S40, then partially submerge itself, and then the vessel could move underneath and around S40, positioning the cargo deck so that the ship sits directly above it. Then, as Forte rises back toward the surface, S40 would effectively be lifted out of the water and settled onto the cargo deck. Once secured with the appropriate supports and locking points, the ship could begin its long journey home. Of course, we'll have to wait and see whether this is actually the method SpaceX uses. So how will S40 get home once its floating phase is finally over? After reaching Christmas Island, SpaceX will probably need several days to load S40 onto the vessel, install securing points, add protective coverings, and complete the necessary inspections and preparations. There will also be regulatory requirements and route planning to consider. That means the actual journey toward Starbase may not begin until the final days of August. And that's where things get particularly interesting. There are two major route options. One would take S40 eastward across the Pacific. The other would take it westward across the Indian Ocean and eventually into the Atlantic. For the Pacific route, there are again two possibilities. The first would be to continue by sea, pass through the Panama Canal, enter the Gulf, and eventually reach Starbase. The second would involve reaching the U.S. West Coast, potentially unloading S40 in California, and then transporting it overland to Texas. The Indian Ocean route also offers two possibilities. One would take the vessel around the Cape of Good Hope before turning north through the Atlantic toward Starbase. The other would take it through the Suez Canal in the Mediterranean and then westward through the Atlantic. Each option comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. The California route could increase costs because it would require switching from maritime to land transportation. There's also the question of whether suitable infrastructure and transport equipment would be available to move S40 safely overland. The other three options would keep the entire journey on water. However, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope would add significant distance. The Suez route could shorten the journey, but it would involve passing through the Suez Canal and navigating areas with additional geopolitical and security considerations. And then there's the Panama Canal. Its lock system could present another logistical challenge depending on Forte's dimensions and the final configuration of S40 on its deck. As for travel time, Forte has a maximum speed of around 14 knots, but once S40 is loaded aboard, it would probably travel closer to 11 or 12 knots. At that speed, the journey back to Starbase could take roughly a month and a half, and only a few days difference between some of the maritime routes. Personally, I think the Cape of Good Hope route could be an option. Yes, it would probably take longer than some alternatives, but the additional travel time may be relatively small compared with the potential benefits of avoiding complicated canal operations, overland transportation, and certain security or logistical challenges. After everything S40 has already survived, perhaps the safest approach is simply to give it a long, uninterrupted journey home. But what do you think? Which route would you choose to bring S40 back to Starbase? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. And during S40's return journey, SpaceX may also achieve several major breakthroughs. The latest update indicates that Flight 14 will not attempt to catch the ship, likely because SpaceX wants to further validate both the vehicle and the catching system before taking that step. Musk has stated that the first ship reflight attempt will take place later this year or early next year, meaning the first catch could happen within the next few months. That also means S40's successors will continue building on everything S40 has accomplished. With Flight 14 even without a catch attempt, we could still see something very interesting. S41 is expected to reach orbit and could potentially return towards Starbase without actually being caught by Mechazilla. As I mentioned in the previous episode and many of you agreed with, I believe SpaceX could guide the ship back towards Starbase before redirecting it slightly offshore to land in the Gulf near Boca Chica. If that happens, it would demonstrate that Starship can accurately return to the Starbase area while also allowing the vehicle to be recovered relatively quickly, potentially within hours or a day of landing. And everything goes perfectly. S41 could even make it home before S40. So what comes next? If Flight 14 is successful, subsequent flights could begin focusing more heavily on the ship catching objective. And once SpaceX successfully catches the ship, the vehicle could be rapidly brought down, inspected, refurbished, and prepared for another mission. The big question is when that will happen. Flight 14 appears to be targeting mid-September according to the latest update available as I'm making this video. That makes a mid-October Flight 15 look increasingly difficult given SpaceX's current pace. So it's entirely possible that S40 can make it back to Starbase before the first ship catching attempt. But whether the catch happens before or after S40's return, the data collected from S40 will remain extremely valuable. S40 is the first ship prototype to survive a sea landing, giving SpaceX a unique opportunity to study what happens to the vehicle after spending an extended period in the ocean. As SpaceX stated, a team of SpaceX engineers is on their way to conduct additional analysis on the vehicle in calmer waters. And once S40 is loaded onto its transport vessel, access to the vehicle should become much easier, potentially allowing engineers to conduct even more detailed inspections. That means future flights could benefit from S40's condition whether they launch before or after it reaches Starbase. Perhaps this is also one of the factors behind Flight 14 taking longer to prepare than originally expected. Either way, S40 could have a surprisingly large influence on the Starship flights that follow. The return journey of S40 will likely become one of the most unusual chapters in Starship history. After completing its mission on Flight 13, S40 has demonstrated remarkable resilience. That resilience doesn't just highlight the durability of Starship. It has also given SpaceX an extraordinary opportunity to bring the vehicle home and study its condition after surviving a landing at sea. Behind that achievement is an incredibly complex recovery operation. The SpaceX team has had to track S40, assess its condition, monitor ocean conditions, and determine how to transport a massive spacecraft back to land. With Christmas Island offering only limited infrastructure, finding a suitable vessel like the Forte could be one of the most important pieces of the entire operation. If everything goes according to plan, S40 will be loaded aboard the vessel, securely restrained, and begin the journey spanning thousands of nautical miles back to Starbase. That would make S40's recovery a truly unique operation in aerospace history, and perhaps years from now, we'll still remember S40 as one of the remarkable ships ever built. However, SpaceX certainly doesn't want this to become routine. Recovering a Starship from the middle of the ocean requires enormous amounts of time, manpower, logistics, and money. Once Starship begins flying at a much higher frequency, this simply won't be an efficient way to operate the fleet. SpaceX's ultimate goal is to catch the ship with the Mechazilla tower as quickly as possible. Instead of allowing the vehicle to splash down thousands of kilometers away and then sending recovery vessels after it, SpaceX wants the ship to return to Starbase, be caught, lowered, inspected, and prepared for its next mission with minimal delay. And there's an even bigger goal on the horizon. SpaceX is also pursuing the possibility of offshore Starship launch and recovery systems. Offshore platforms could dramatically expand operational space, reduce dependence on land-based infrastructure, and eventually allow Starships to launch, land, refuel, and fly again at an unprecedented pace. So, S40's journey is about much more than simply bringing one spacecraft home. It could represent a transition between the way Starship operates today and a completely different future. One day, instead of searching for a Starship drifting somewhere in the ocean, SpaceX could simply catch it moments after its mission is complete. And that future may be getting closer with every flight. Stay tuned for the latest developments on S40, Flight 14, and the future of Starship. 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. 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, an 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 noticeable 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 out, 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 1600 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 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. B21 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 Spaceport 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 eight and a half 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. 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!