Starship 40 Survives Splashdown, Throwing Spotlight on Recovery Challenges
SpaceX's Starship Ship 40 became the first Starship to survive a splashdown, triggering a complex recovery from the Indian Ocean to Christmas Island so engineers can inspect its heatshield and engines; the operation highlights recovery challenges and will inform future flights and potential tower-catch attempts as SpaceX and NASA push toward larger missions and Artemis