The commercial spaceflight industry has seen tremendous growth and innovation in recent years, with companies like SpaceX pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. A key enabler of SpaceX’s success has been its ability to recover and reuse rocket boosters and other valuable hardware. This is where the company’s fleet of offshore recovery ships comes into play.
SpaceX’s Reusability Revolution
To appreciate the significance of SpaceX’s offshore recovery fleet, it’s important to understand the company’s approach to reusability. Traditionally, orbital rockets have been expendable – used only once and then discarded. This made spaceflight extremely expensive, as an entirely new rocket had to be built for each mission.
SpaceX set out to change this paradigm by developing rockets that could be recovered and flown again multiple times. The company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket is designed to have its first stage booster separate after launch and navigate back to Earth for a controlled landing. Initially, these landings took place on land at SpaceX’s facilities at Cape Canaveral. But to have more flexibility and not be constrained by the availability of landing sites on land, SpaceX began landing boosters on autonomous spaceport droneships (ASDS) positioned out in the ocean.
Perfecting this technology took some trial and error, with a number of boosters lost during failed landing attempts in the early days. But SpaceX persevered, and by 2016 began successfully recovering Falcon 9 first stages on droneships with regularity. As of mid-2024, the company has landed boosters 150 times, with over 100 of those occurring on droneships. Some Falcon 9 first stages have now flown as many as 15 times.
In addition to the first stage boosters, SpaceX also recovers the payload fairing halves that enclose satellites during launch. These fairings cost around $3 million per half, so there are significant savings to be had by fishing them out of the ocean and refurbishing them for reuse. SpaceX uses fast boats deployed from larger support ships to retrieve fairing halves from the water.
Finally, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which ferries cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, splashes down under parachutes in the ocean at the end of each mission. Recovery boats are dispatched to retrieve the capsule and crew.
All of these recovery operations – boosters, fairings, and capsules – rely on the ships and marine equipment that make up SpaceX’s offshore fleet. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key vessels.
The Autonomous Spaceport Droneships
The stars of SpaceX’s recovery fleet are undoubtedly the autonomous spaceport droneships, or ASDS. These are modified barges measuring about 300 by 170 feet, equipped with station-keeping engines that allow them to hold position in the ocean with exceptional accuracy. The droneships serve as mobile landing pads for Falcon 9 first stages.
SpaceX currently has three operational droneships:
- Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) – Based on the US West Coast and used for recovering boosters launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It was first used in 2016.
- Just Read the Instructions (JRTI) – Operates in the Atlantic Ocean, recovering boosters launched from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. First used in 2016.
- A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) – The newest droneship, added to the East Coast fleet in 2021 to support a higher cadence of launches.
The droneships are entirely autonomous, with no crew on board during booster landing operations. Powerful pumps spray water over the deck during landings to protect the ship from the intense heat and forces of the rocket’s engines. The landed booster is secured to the deck by a robot called the Octagrabber and then towed back to port by a tug for refurbishment.
Fairing Recovery Vessels
To recover Falcon 9 payload fairing halves, SpaceX uses two main support ships named Bob and Doug, after the first NASA astronauts to fly on a Crew Dragon. These ships, measuring over 200 feet long, serve as platforms for fast boats that are actually deployed to scoop the fairing halves out of the water.
Bob and Doug each have a large hydraulic lift system on their aft decks that can quickly launch and recover the fairing recovery boats, named after the ships themselves (Bob’s Boats and Doug’s Boats). The fast boats, measuring about 30 feet long, are staffed by crews equipped with equipment to attach lines to the floating fairing halves and tow them back to the mothership. Once back on board, the fairing halves are inspected and prepared for transport back to shore for refurbishment.
SpaceX has significantly improved its success rate in recovering fairings intact, thanks in large part to the capabilities provided by the Bob and Doug ships and their fast boat fleets. Being able to recover and reuse fairings provides major cost savings.
Dragon Recovery Ships
SpaceX’s Dragon capsules, both the cargo variant and the Crew Dragon for astronauts, are designed to be reusable. After completing their missions to the space station, they undock and reenter the Earth’s atmosphere, splashing down under parachutes in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.
To recover Dragon capsules, SpaceX dispatches a recovery ship along with several fast boats. The main recovery vessel is equipped with a hydraulic lift system, known as the Dragon Recovery Cradle, to hoist the capsule out of the water and onto the ship’s deck. Dragons are outfitted with inflatable ballasts that keep them upright and stable in the water. The recovery team secures the capsule and then gets to work safing hazardous propellants and hooking up purge lines to circulate fresh air.
SpaceX has two dedicated Dragon recovery ships:
- GO Searcher – A 170-foot vessel based on the US East Coast. It has a medical bay and helipad to support astronaut recovery operations.
- GO Navigator – A sister ship to GO Searcher, used as a backup or to support higher flight rates.
The fast boats used for Dragon recovery are rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and jet skis that can quickly reach the capsule, secure the area, and deploy personnel to prepare for recovery.
Starbase Marine Operations
In addition to the fleet that supports Falcon 9 and Dragon missions, SpaceX also has a number of unique vessels operating at Starbase, the company’s rocket factory and launch site in Boca Chica, Texas.
Starbase is located right next to the Brownsville Ship Channel, a busy waterway used by commercial ships transiting to and from the Port of Brownsville. To transport personnel across the channel, SpaceX uses two amphibious hovercraft – Razor Crest and Eagle 5.
Summary
The growth of SpaceX’s offshore recovery fleet over the years is a testament to the company’s commitment to making reusability a reality. By being able to recover boosters, fairings, and capsules at sea, SpaceX has been able to achieve a launch cadence and level of cost savings that would be impossible with fully expendable systems.
As SpaceX continues to ramp up its launch rate and pursues even more ambitious reusability goals with its next-generation Starship vehicle, the offshore fleet will undoubtedly continue to expand and evolve. The ships and marine assets are a critical part of the infrastructure that supports the company’s spaceflight endeavors.
