SpaceX to Launch First 'Starfall' Reentry Capsule on June 23

SpaceX is set to debut its new "Starfall" reentry vehicle on Tuesday, June 23, with a launch window opening at 6:43 a.m. EDT (1043 GMT) from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

What is Starfall?

Starfall is a cargo transportation vehicle designed to carry payloads to low Earth orbit and return materials safely to Earth. Unlike traditional conical spacecraft, Starfall features a flat, cylindrical disk shape measuring 3.1 meters (10.2 feet) in diameter and just 0.75 meters (2.5 feet) in height.

The vehicle has a dry mass of approximately 2,100 kilograms, split between a 1,400 kg aluminum top plate and a 700 kg carbon-fiber heat shield. It can carry up to 1,000 kilograms of payload back from orbit.

Technical Specifications

Starfall lacks a propulsion system and cannot deorbit itself. It relies on its launch vehicle or an external kick-stage to push it back into the atmosphere. During reentry, the capsule uses nitrogen cold-gas thrusters for attitude control.

The heat shield mechanically jettisons just before splashdown, allowing recovery teams to retrieve the capsule components via boat. SpaceX targets a landing zone in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 700 nautical miles (1,300 km) off the U.S. West Coast in international waters.

Applications

The Starfall project aims to advance orbital manufacturing technologies. The concept involves sending equipment or materials into space to operate in microgravity and vacuum conditions, creating unique products that can be returned to Earth. This capability could be valuable in advanced materials science, crystal growth, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

Additionally, SpaceX is considering Starfall for suborbital point-to-point cargo delivery across Earth, enabling rapid global shipping. The U.S. military has also expressed interest in the technology's strategic applications.

Industry Competition

Similar concepts are already being explored by companies like Varda Space Industries, which has successfully landed five of its 3-foot-wide, roughly 650-pound conical capsules. One returned a payload for the U.S. Air Force after more than eight weeks on orbit.

Starfall is more than three times larger than Varda's capsules and offers greater payload capacity. If successful, SpaceX could become a key player in the reusable return vehicle market, opening a new era of commercial space-based production and rapid global delivery.

Mission Details

The maiden flight will use a Falcon 9 rocket, tail number 1078, which has completed 28 previous flights including NASA's Crew-6 mission to the ISS, a Space Force mission, and 23 Starlink launches. About 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the booster will land on the SpaceX autonomous droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX has not specified how long it plans to keep the test vehicle in orbit. If Tuesday's launch is delayed, a backup opportunity is available on June 24 with the same launch window.

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Original article: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launching-its-1st-starfall-reentry-capsule-early-on-june-23-watch-it-live