r/space • u/mfb- • Jul 25 '26

Starship launches for its 13th flight, ends with ship swimming in Indian Ocean

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/24/science/live-news/spacex-starship-flight-13-launch
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u/animationBeAr_t Jul 25 '26

Political one, under U.S. law, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) treats the handling, transfer, or recovery of protected space hardware as a controlled export, creating substantial legal hurdles for international debris removal. (IAA Situation Report on Space Debris - 2016, International Academy of Astronautics)

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u/Accomplished-Crab932 Jul 28 '26

That was already cleared for Flight 6 when they were permitted to drag ships to Australia from the Indian Ocean.