Specialist ship arrives to cart SpaceX rocket from Christmas Island

A heavy-lift, semi-submersible cargo carrier named the Forte has arrived at Christmas Island to retrieve SpaceX's Starship 40. The ship, sailing beneath a Maltese flag, began loading the massive rocket directly from the water on Monday. The Forte is expected to disembark for the United States, carrying the Starship 40 about 20,000 kilometres back to Starbase, Texas.

Christmas Island Tourism Association chair David Watchorn described the vessel as the biggest he had ever seen at Christmas Island. The rocket's presence has caused great excitement in the island community, especially among young residents. Space enthusiasts have likened the experience to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The recovery mission follows the controlled touchdown of Starship 40 in the Indian Ocean on July 24, where it spent 24 days at sea due to rough weather and delays. SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk previously touted the flight as demonstrating the core capabilities of an orbital mission and return to Starbase for catch.

David Gozzard, a senior research fellow at the University of Western Australia, emphasized that the retrieval would provide crucial data for future starship designs, making them more reliable and robust. However, SpaceX CEO Musk admitted that a successful catch attempt on dry land is still some way off, with the first reflight expected either at the end of the year or early next year.