A hardpoint designed for controlled lifting may be poorly suited to towing through the open ocean. An attachment can be strong enough for a recovery arm yet sit in the wrong place relative to the vehicle's buoyancy when current, waves, and towline forces act on it. Salvage specialists and naval architects should test those assumptions before they become fixed in the design. Salt-water exposure also complicates a rapid-reuse concept. Expertise in aerospace structures does not automatically cover maritime recovery.
Notable Point · 15:03-18:13
Why splashdown recovery needs maritime engineering
Starship recovery prompts a practical warning that lifting points, towing loads, buoyancy, sea state, and salt-water exposure are different engineering problems.