SpaceX's Ship 40 survives reentry, splashes down off Christmas Island
SpaceX just pulled off a big one: Ship 40, the upper stage of its Starship rocket, survived a wild ride through earth's atmosphere and survived an intact ocean splashdown and is now floating just offshore of Christmas Island awaiting inspection.
Launched from Texas on July 24, Ship 40 braved tough seas before being towed to calmer waters near Christmas Island for inspection.
Engineers to inspect ship 40
This is the first time a Starship upper stage has made it back intact, which is huge for SpaceX's goal of making rockets reusable.
Engineers will now study Ship 40 to learn how its heat tiles and structure held up.
Plus, this success is a big step toward helping NASA land astronauts on the moon in 2028 as part of the Artemis missions.
Next up: SpaceX is prepping Ship 41 for another test later this month, this time aiming for an orbital return using its Mechazilla recovery system.