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Starship 40 Survives Ocean Splashdown Intact!
9 Sep
Summary
- Starship 40 traveled from Texas to the Indian Ocean in about 65 minutes.
- The suborbital mission tested Starship's payload deployment system.
- Unlike previous stages, Starship 40 was salvaged intact after splashdown.
SpaceX's Starship 40 demonstrated remarkable speed, covering the distance from Texas to the Indian Ocean in roughly 65 minutes. Launched on July 24 from Starbase in South Texas, this suborbital test flight successfully deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites. These satellites were intended to reenter and burn up shortly after deployment as part of the payload system test.
What was unexpected was the survival of the Starship 40 upper stage after its splashdown. While likely not reusable, the intact spacecraft provides engineers with valuable data. This contrasts with previous Starship upper stages, which were not recovered, allowing for more detailed analysis than telemetry or debris studies.
