SpaceX launches first Starfall cargo return demo

SpaceX is scheduled to conduct the first demonstration flight of its new uncrewed cargo return capsule, named Starfall, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The mission will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 6:43 a.m. EDT, with a backup launch window available on Wednesday, June 24.

The company has disclosed few details about the mission, but information from a Federal Aviation Administration environmental assessment published in May outlines the vehicle's purpose and design. The Starfall capsule is a cylindrical, disk-shaped vehicle approximately 3.1 meters in diameter and 0.75 meters tall. It is designed to carry up to 1,000 kilograms of payload back to Earth through atmospheric reentry and a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

According to the FAA document, the primary objectives of the Starfall program are to enable rapid point-to-point cargo delivery through space and to support a commercial in-space manufacturing market. The capsule is intended to provide access to microgravity and vacuum, allow payloads to loiter in orbit, and offer safe return as a service. This...