October 8, 2026 · Starship · Port of Brownsville

Ship 40 is home: the first Starship SpaceX brought back from the ocean is moored at the Port of Brownsville

Ship 40 made it back to Texas. The heavy-lift ship Forte, carrying the Starship upper stage from Flight 13, arrived at the Port of Brownsville on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and is moored there, per the VesselFinder tracking service. It logged the arrival at 15:54 UTC, about 11 a.m. Central.

• Up the channel: a video shot from Port Isabel and posted Wednesday shows Forte moving through the Brownsville Ship Channel with Ship 40 on deck. The poster timed it between 8:38 and 8:43 a.m. Central.
• A first: "It marks the first time SpaceX recovered a Starship from the ocean," Florida Today reported.
• The trip: Flight 13 launched from Starbase July 24, so Ship 40 got home 75 days later. In an Aug. 27 post saying Ship 40 had been loaded for the trip, SpaceX called it "the several month journey back to Starbase." The sail took about six weeks.
• What's next: "What SpaceX plans to do with this catch of Ship 40 remains to be seen," Florida Today wrote. We'll report it when SpaceX says.

Update Oct. 10: Ship 40 was on the move at the port Friday evening, on self-propelled transporters, per NASASpaceflight video. NASASpaceflight reported it will roll to the production site lying down, on the cradle it rode home in. The city lists a Highway 4 road delay marked "Port to Production" from 10:55 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday, Central time.

Update Oct. 11: Ship 40 is back at the Starbase production site. Saturday afternoon it was "securely on dry land" at the port, Jerry Pike reported. Overnight it rolled up Highway 4: RGV Aerial Photography posted at 1:04 a.m. Sunday, Central time, that it had "just passed the Massey's test site," and at 2:21 a.m. that it had "arrived at the production site." NASASpaceflight photographer Colleen Liedtke posted photos of it there at 2:40 a.m. It was set to roll out of the port with an American flag hung at its tail, per a Starship Gazer photo. That's 79 days after Flight 13 launched.

Update Oct. 12: "Ship 40 has relocated to the ring yard," LabPadre posted at 3 a.m. Monday, Central time. Separately, the city has posted a Highway 4 road delay from 11:59 p.m. Monday to 4 a.m. Tuesday, listed as "Production to Masseys." It does not say what will move. Boca Chica Beach is open, and there are no public notices.

Update Oct. 13: Booster 23 rolled out of the production site overnight, "headed to Massey's for its initial round of cryogenic tests," NASASpaceflight photographer Ceaser G posted at 12:32 a.m. Tuesday, Central time. That was inside the Highway 4 road delay the city had listed for 11:59 p.m. Monday to 4 a.m. Tuesday. On Monday, LabPadre posted that Ship 40 "has been lifted back to vertical" and "is now seated on a transport ring inside Megabay-2." This morning the city lists no road delays, Boca Chica Beach is open, and there are no public notices.

The Oct. 7 vote: the Starbase City Commission had its SpaceX development agreement for about 166 acres at Massey's on the agenda for 7 p.m. Wednesday. As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, the city had not posted minutes or video, and we had not found a published report of the result. We'll post it once it's sourced. The terms on the agenda. Update Oct. 9: the commission approved the agreement unanimously Wednesday night, RGV Business Journal reported. The city has not posted minutes yet. Latest.

Tonight on Highway 4: the city has posted a road delay from 11:59 p.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday, listed as "Production to Masseys." Boca Chica Beach is open, and there are no public notices. Starship Flight 15 still has "no launch date yet," per Starbase Events.

Sources: VesselFinder, Forte (read Oct. 8) · Video from Port Isabel, Oct. 7 · Florida Today, Oct. 7 · SpaceX, Aug. 27 (loaded) · SpaceX, Aug. 27 (photo) · Space.com on Flight 13, July 24 · City of Starbase, commission meetings (read Oct. 8) · City of Starbase, beach and road access (read Oct. 8) · Starbase Events, Flight 15 (read Oct. 8) · RGV Business Journal, Oct. 8 · NASASpaceflight, Oct. 9 · Jerry Pike for NASASpaceflight, video, Oct. 9 · City of Starbase, beach and road access (read Oct. 10) · Jerry Pike, video, Oct. 10 · Starship Gazer, photo, Oct. 10 · RGV Aerial Photography, Oct. 11, 1:04 a.m. · RGV Aerial Photography, Oct. 11, 2:21 a.m. · Colleen Liedtke for NASASpaceflight, photos, Oct. 11 · City of Starbase, beach and road access (read Oct. 11) · LabPadre, Oct. 12, 3 a.m. · City of Starbase, beach and road access (read Oct. 12) · Ceaser G (NASASpaceflight), Oct. 13, 12:32 a.m. · LabPadre, Oct. 12, Ship 40 vertical · City of Starbase, beach and road access (read Oct. 13) · Card photo: "Starbase Sunset" by Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0

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