NSF by Haygen Warren & Bastiaan Vellekoop June 22, 2026
SpaceX is set to launch a demonstration mission for its Starfall reentry vehicle early on Tuesday morning. Falcon 9 is scheduled to liftoff at 6:43 AM EDT (10:43 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Weather is 95% “go” for launch, with the only concerns being the cumulus cloud rule.
Riding within a payload fairing atop Falcon 9 will be a demonstration version of the pancake-like Starfall reentry vehicle. Following launch, the Starfall vehicle will remain attached to the second stage before being deorbited for reentry, ultimately targeting a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean just hours after launch.
SpaceX’s Starfall reentry vehicle
SpaceX’s Starfall reentry vehicle is an upcoming mass-produced spacecraft that will autonomously transport payloads safely from orbit to Earth’s surface. The disk-shaped Starfall capsules will have a diameter of 3.1 m, stand only 0.75 m tall, and have a mass of approximately 2,100 kg. Once in service, the reentry vehicles will be capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,000 kg, supporting point-to-point cargo and in-orbit manufacturing services.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a final environmental assessment for the Starfall demonstration missions on May 15, providing, for the first time, information on Starfall and SpaceX’s ultimate plans for the vehicle. The FAA assessment approved SpaceX for no more than two demonstration missions, stating “SpaceX would reenter Starfall through Earth’s atmosphere on a pre-planned trajectory and land (splash down) the capsule in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 700 nautical miles (nm) off the U.S. west coast in international waters… SpaceX would recover vehicle components, including parachutes and heat shields, to the maximum extent practicable.”
More:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/06/starfall-demo/
