Oct. 8, 2026 · Ship 40 is home: the first Starship SpaceX brought back from the ocean is moored at the Port of Brownsville

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 floating on its side in blue water off Christmas Island, its engines facing the camera, with recovery crew sitting on top — File photo: Ship 40 floating off Christmas Island in August, before it was loaded for the trip home. Photo: SpaceX.

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.

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.

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)

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