SpaceX's secretive plans to deliver cargo to Earth from space
New Scientist 2026-06-23 16:37:25
Context: SpaceX launched its secretive Starfall delivery system on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, with the aim of enabling cargo delivery from space, such as manufactured materials like pharmaceutical compounds or semiconductor alloys. The demo capsule, designed for cargo only, blasted off to low Earth orbit and the Falcon 9 rocket later landed on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The Starfall project has been shrouded in secrecy, but an assessment by the US Federal Aviation Administration revealed its purpose was for the "transport and delivery of goods through space".
Key Facts
- SpaceX's Starfall capsule was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at around 6:50am local time, carrying a 1-tonne payload capacity, and measuring around 3 metres across and less than a metre tall.
- The Starfall capsule is a windowless, black, stumpy cylinder, split into two parts that are designed to separate after re-entry into Earth's atmosphere: an upper dish where the payload is stored, and a heat shield made from carbon fibre beneath it.
- The US Federal Aviation Administration assessment published in May showed that the project's purpose was for the "transport and delivery of goods through space", with two associated re-entry vehicle landings approved for this demonstration mission.
- SpaceX has contracts with the US military, including a project called Rocket Cargo, which would use SpaceX's larger Starship rocket to deliver supplies to remote locations in under an hour, and Starfall could potentially plug the gap for smaller deliveries.
- The Starfall capsule is designed to splash down in the Pacific Ocean, 1300 kilometres from the Californian coast, but SpaceX has provided no further updates about the capsule's duration in orbit or its re-entry plans.