GoKawiilA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch Tuesday to test a new reentry vehicle designed to deliver cargo anywhere in the world from low-Earth orbit.
The company developed the new saucer-shaped reentry pod, called Starfall, under a veil of secrecy. Its purpose is to support the “transport and delivery of goods through space,” according to an environmental assessment published by the Federal Aviation Administration last month.
The first demonstration of the Starfall vehicle is scheduled for Tuesday morning. At least one of the Starfall vehicles will ride into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, perhaps alongside another undisclosed payload. After circling the planet two times, the Falcon 9’s upper stage will release Starfall to reenter the atmosphere and target a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean around 800 miles west of California.
That is according to airspace and maritime warning notices telling pilots and sailors to steer clear of the Starfall splashdown zone.
The mission has a one-hour launch window beginning at 6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC) Tuesday. SpaceX’s official webpage for the mission includes a timeline of key events during the launch, but it is devoid of any more information about the payload or the exact sequence of events for the Falcon 9’s upper stage. In its public messaging, SpaceX is effectively treating the launch like it would a classified mission for the US government.
From here to anywhere
What we do know about Starfall primarily comes from the FAA’s environmental assessment. In that document, the FAA writes that Starfall will “enable point-to-point delivery of critical cargo through space on rapid timelines” and provide access to space for commercial in-space manufacturing, a nascent market that, so far, is largely geared toward pharmaceuticals. Starfall could bring those materials back to Earth for commercial use. A private company named Varda Space Industries is already working in this area.