SpaceX Starship Ship 40 arrives at Christmas Island after 24-day recovery tow

SpaceX's Starship Ship 40 came to rest in the waters off Christmas Island on August 18, ending a 24-day ocean recovery operation.

The spacecraft launched from Starbase in Texas on July 24 as Starship Flight 13. After a controlled descent, it splashed down in the Indian Ocean near Western Australia and stayed afloat. That gave SpaceX the chance to try an open-water recovery for the first time. The Normand Ranger led the tow, with Go Australis alongside throughout.

Getting Ship 40 from the splashdown zone to Christmas Island was slow. Twenty-four days. The route crossed some of the most remote ocean in the Indian Ocean, well clear of major shipping lanes. NASASpaceFlight reported that SpaceX is now planning to return the spacecraft to Starbase in Texas once logistics on the island are sorted.

Local residents have been following the story. Australian broadcaster ABC described the arrival as becoming the "talk of the town" on Christmas Island, an island more accustomed to ordinary commercial traffic than experimental spacecraft.

On MarineRadar, the Normand Ranger was among the most-tracked vessels on the platform during the recovery period. In the 48 hours around its arrival at Christmas Island, 67 unique devices were watching it, with 31 still active in the most recent 24 hours.

For context on following specialist vessels at sea, read about identifying ship types, offshore satellite AIS tracking, and examining vessel route history.