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SpaceX Ship 40 Under Tow in Indian Ocean After Starship Flight 13 Splashdown

SpaceX Ship 40 Under Tow in Indian Ocean After Starship Flight 13 SplashdownAI illustration

SpaceX's Starship upper stage is being towed across the Indian Ocean after the company's 13th test flight ended with a splashdown on July 24. The tug Normand Ranger has a line on the vehicle.

Ship 40, SpaceX's name for the upper stage, drifted more than 400 kilometres after it touched down in open water. The SpaceX support vessel Go Australis located it and stood by until the tugs arrived. Normand Ranger and a second tug, Skimmer Tide, are now hauling it toward a port in Western Australia.

The convoy is expected to reach either Dampier or Port Hedland around August 11 or 12. SpaceX plans to inspect the vehicle on arrival.

30 Jul – 05 Aug 2026

SpaceX Ship 40 Under Tow in Indian Ocean After Starship Flight 13 Splashdown

Interest over time · Normand Ranger
07/3008/0208/05

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