{"id":9528,"date":"2026-06-23T21:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-reentry-capsule-demo-mission-called-starfall\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T18:12:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:12:49","slug":"spacex-launches-reentry-capsule-demo-mission-called-starfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-reentry-capsule-demo-mission-called-starfall\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches reentry capsule demo mission called \u2018Starfall\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_73732\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73732\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73732\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_Demo_liftoff_AB-1.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_Demo_liftoff_AB-1.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_Demo_liftoff_AB-1-300x200.jpeg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"452\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73732\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liftoff of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket on the Starfall Demo mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 23, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Update June 23, 10:01 a.m. EDT (1401 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the Starfall capsule.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>As the sun rose over Florida\u2019s Space Coast on Tuesday, so too did SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying onboard a demonstration of its new uncrewed reentry capsule named \u2018Starfall\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The company had been tight-lipped about the payload and its mission profile, cutting off its public-facing, post-liftoff timeline after the booster landing event. SpaceX chose not to share views of its upper stage or the Starfall payload itself during its broadcast.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX also has not disclosed how many spacecraft are onboard this mission. An environmental assessment (EA) published by the Federal Aviation Administration said in May that the company wanted to \u201cperform two Starfall reentries to demonstrate capabilities for future transport and delivery of goods through space,\u201d but it\u2019s not clear if this mission will include more than one Starfall capsule.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 6:53 a.m. EDT (1053 UTC).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0Xh_OTyzxOY?si=3cIat85nQGjJgU0g\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 95 percent chance for favorable weather on Tuesday. Meteorologists said there was a small chance for interference from cumulus clouds.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX launched the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster B1078. This was its 29th flight after launching previous missions that included NASA\u2019s Crew-6, USSF-124, and SES\u2019 O3b mPOWER-B.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly nine minutes after liftoff, B1078 landed on the drone ship \u2018A Shortfall of Gravitas\u2019 positioned out in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the 157th landing on this vessel and the 628th booster landing for SpaceX to date.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73733\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73733\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73733\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_Demo_liftoff_JP-1.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_Demo_liftoff_JP-1.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_Demo_liftoff_JP-1-240x300.jpeg 240w\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"848\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73733\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liftoff of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket on the Starfall Demo mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 23, 2026. Image: John Pisani\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>New technologies, new mysteries<\/h4>\n<p>The introduction of Starfall into SpaceX\u2019s lineup of spacecraft continues the naming pattern for the objects that the company launches into orbit, i.e. Starlink, Starshield, and eventually Starship. But like Starshield, SpaceX hasn\u2019t said much of anything about this new reentry capability.<\/p>\n<p>The final EA, published in May, stated that SpaceX wanted to either launch Starfall into low Earth orbit or on a suborbital trajectory. The capsules can be launched either on a Falcon 9 rocket or a Starship-Super Heavy flight.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73731\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73731\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73731\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_rendering.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_rendering.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260623_Starfall_rendering-300x169.jpeg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73731\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s rendering of the Starfall reentry capsule coming back into the atmosphere. Graphic: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As part of its initial public offering roadshow presentation, SpaceX included a graphic that seems to show a type of satellite bus that\u2019s has slots for up to four Starfall capsules. It includes the label, \u201cIn-orbit manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FAA-published EA stated that each Starfall capsule \u201cis a cylindrical shaped capsule approximately 0.75 meters (2.5 feet) tall with a diameter of 3.1 meters (10.2 feet), weighing approximately 2,100 kilograms (4,600 pounds), and capable of carrying 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of payload, for a total weight of 3,100 kilograms (6,800 pounds).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It noted that these capsules will be recovered in the Pacific Ocean, similar to Dragon spacecraft.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73723\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73723\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73723\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_reentry_area.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_reentry_area.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_reentry_area-282x300.jpg 282w\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"722\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73723\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A graphical representation of the recovery area proposed for SpaceX\u2019s Starfall reentry capsules. Graphic: FAA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SpaceX hasn\u2019t indicated how long the Starfall capsule will remain in orbit or if it\u2019s hosting any customer payloads onboard. There are some notable ambitions for the technology as laid out in the EA document.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of the Proposed Action is to (1) enable point-to-point delivery of critical cargo through space on rapid timelines and (2) create a self-sustaining commercial in-space manufacturing market by offering access to microgravity and vacuum, loiter on orbit, and safe return from orbit as a service at scale,\u201d the document stated. \u201cThis aligns with national objectives to expand commercial activity in LEO.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, Starfall can serve as a proliferated successor to the International Space Station (ISS), taking the ISS\u2019s successful manufacturing experiments and scaling them to a self-sustaining manufacturing economy in space. The Proposed Action is needed to advance novel space capabilities by maturing commercial technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73722\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73722\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73722\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_overview.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_overview.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_overview-300x145.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"327\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73722\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s interpretation of SpaceX\u2019s Starfall reentry capsule. Graphic: SpaceX via FAA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The document stated that while Starfall capsules don\u2019t contain a main propulsion system, they do have an attitude control system that uses inert gas to correctly orient the spacecraft. This means that the spacecraft can only change their attitude, but not perform a de-orbit burn.<\/p>\n<p>The Starfall capsules are made up of two primary pieces, a top plate and a heat shield, that separate after reentry. The FAA document describes the top plate as an \u201c aluminum structure partially wrapped in thermal protection material and weighs approximately 1,400 kilograms (kg).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe heat shield consists of a carbon fiber structure wrapped in thermal protective material and containing two large, compressed nitrogen gas-filled composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) (151 liters each) and several smaller auxiliary compressed gas bottles (9 liters each). The heat shield weighs approximately 700 kg total.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following reentry, the top plate separates to reveal the parachute, which is connected to \u201cfour reinforced attachment points on the vehicle.\u201d There are three parachutes in total, a drogue, a pilot, and main landing parachutes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73724\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73724\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73724\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_parachute.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_parachute.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260622_Starfall_parachute-300x193.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"436\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73724\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s interpretation of a SpaceX Starfall reentry capsule with a deployed drogue parachute. Graphic: SpaceX via FAA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liftoff of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket on the Starfall Demo mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 23, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now Update June 23, 10:01 a.m. EDT (1401 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the Starfall capsule. As the sun rose over Florida\u2019s Space Coast on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[673,674,479,675,676,316,677],"class_list":["post-9528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-asog","tag-b1078","tag-falcon-9","tag-slc-40","tag-sld-45","tag-spacex","tag-starfall"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10174,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528\/revisions\/10174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}