With Starfall, SpaceX eyes an edge in global cargo delivery from orbit
A 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.