SpaceX tests Starfall reentry vehicle for global cargo delivery from orbit
Tags Infrastructure · Defense Tech
SpaceX launched its first Starfall reentry capsule on June 23, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a Falcon 9 rocket. Starfall is designed to bring up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo back from orbit, reentering the atmosphere for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The project was revealed through an FAA environmental assessment published in May 2026. The vehicle is described as a saucer-shaped reentry capsule with potential military and commercial applications for global rapid cargo delivery.
Technical significance
Starfall's orbital cargo return capability could enable in-space manufacturing return logistics and rapid global delivery without traditional transportation infrastructure. The military implications are significant: a vehicle capable of returning cargo from orbit can also deliver payloads to any point on Earth within hours.