Musk hoped the booster could be towed to shore, although there's no mention of what happens if it comes back safely. We wouldn't count on much happening, however. It doesn't exactly look like it's in a healthy state, and SpaceX isn't about to preserve every rocket with a special story behind it.

As it is, the company's eyes are elsewhere. SpaceX is poised to launch Falcon Heavy for the first time on February 6th, and the successful GovSat-1 effort makes sure the Heavy launch can go ahead without hiccups. The rocket recovery is really icing on the cake.