The Starship upper stage that survived SpaceX’s July 24 test flight has been loaded onto a transport vessel near Christmas Island for a voyage expected to take several months.

SpaceX has recovered the Starship upper stage from the Indian Ocean and begun shipping it back to Starbase in South Texas, marking the company’s largest salvage effort to date.

The vehicle launched from Starbase on July 24 on Starship’s 13th full test flight. After an hourlong flight, it completed a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean and remained afloat, unlike earlier full-scale Starship test vehicles.

SpaceX said its recovery crews worked through difficult conditions to bring the spacecraft to waters near Christmas Island, where engineers inspected it before it was loaded onto a semisubmersible transport ship. The trip back to Texas is expected to take several months.

Returning the vehicle gives SpaceX engineers access to hardware that endured launch, atmospheric reentry and a prolonged period at sea. Starship is central to SpaceX’s plans for missions to the moon and Mars; NASA is also relying on a Starship-derived lunar lander for its Artemis program.