Every recovery vessel, drone ship, and landing platform in the space industry — from SpaceX's autonomous spaceport fleet to Rocket Lab's Neutron landing barge. Live AIS tracking, specifications, mission history and operational data.
Real-time positions of SpaceX's recovery fleet — drone ships, fairing recovery vessels, Dragon recovery ships and support tugs. Positions updated every 5 minutes via AIS (Automatic Identification System) maritime transponders. See which vessels are in port, heading to a landing zone, or returning with a recovered booster. Related: upcoming launches · Falcon 9 · Kennedy Space Center
| Vessel | Operator | Type | Status | Home Port | Associated Vehicles | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Shortfall of Gravitas | SpaceX | Drone Ship (ASDS) | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Falcon 9, Heavy | 91m |
| Just Read the Instructions | SpaceX | Drone Ship (ASDS) | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Falcon 9, Starship | 91m |
| Of Course I Still Love You | SpaceX | Drone Ship (ASDS) | ● Active | Long Beach, CA | Falcon 9 | 91m |
| Bob | SpaceX | Recovery Ship | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Falcon 9 | 80m |
| Doug | SpaceX | Recovery Ship | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Falcon 9 | 80m |
| Megan | SpaceX | Dragon Recovery | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Crew Dragon, Cargo Dragon | 58m |
| Shannon | SpaceX | Dragon Recovery | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Crew Dragon, Cargo Dragon | 58m |
| Octagrabber | SpaceX | Securing Robot | ● Active | Aboard drone ships | Falcon 9, Heavy | ~3m |
| You'll Thank Me Later | SpaceX | Transport Barge | ● Active | Brownsville, TX / Canaveral | Starship | 95m |
| Finn Falgout | SpaceX | Tugboat | ● Active | Port Canaveral, FL | Falcon 9 | 42m |
| Phobos & Deimos | SpaceX | Floating Spaceport | ● Retired | — | Starship (planned) | ~85m |
| Return On Investment | Rocket Lab | Landing Platform | ● Under Construction | Amelia, LA → East Coast | Neutron | 122m |
Autonomous spaceport drone ships (ASDS) are the backbone of Falcon 9 reusability. These GPS-guided barges maintain precise position at sea while a 25-tonne booster lands on their deck at supersonic speed. With over 400 successful sea landings, the drone ship fleet has proven that orbital-class rockets can be routinely recovered and reflown — cutting launch costs dramatically. SpaceX currently operates three drone ships across the US East and West Coasts, while Rocket Lab is building its own landing platform for the Neutron rocket.
Beyond the drone ships, SpaceX operates a fleet of specialised support vessels for fairing recovery, Dragon capsule retrieval, drone ship towing, and Starship hardware transport. The fairing recovery ships Bob and Doug are named after the Demo-2 astronauts, while Dragon recovery vessels Megan and Shannon honour Crew-1 and Crew-2 crew members.
The recovery fleet relies on autonomous systems that operate without humans on deck during the most critical moments. The Octagrabber robot secures a freshly-landed Falcon 9 booster — a 25-tonne vehicle standing on four landing legs on a ship in ocean swells — preventing it from toppling during the transit back to port.
Not every recovery concept has made it to operational service. SpaceX's ambitious Phobos and Deimos floating spaceports — converted deep-water oil rigs intended for Starship launches at sea — were ultimately abandoned after proving unsuitable. The company remains interested in the offshore spaceport concept and continues developing new designs.