Starfall Demo 1, 2

Starfall Demo [SpaceX]

Starfall Demo is the name of two demonstration missions intended to validate the reentry capsule of SpaceX's planned Starfall cargo transportation system. The spacecraft is being developed by SpaceX of the United States as an uncrewed reentry vehicle for the transport and delivery of goods through space, with demonstration missions designed to verify atmospheric reentry, splashdown, and recovery capabilities.

Starfall is being developed by SpaceX as a reusable cargo reentry system intended for future transport and delivery of goods through space. The vehicle is not designed or intended for human spaceflight. The demonstration missions are intended to validate technologies and operational procedures required for future routine cargo return operations while ensuring public safety through ocean-based recovery areas.

The Starfall capsule has a cylindrical configuration approximately 0.75 m in height and 3.1 m in diameter. The empty vehicle mass is approximately 2100 kg and it can accommodate up to 1000 kg of payload, resulting in a maximum reentry mass of approximately 3100 kg. Atmospheric reentry follows a pre-planned trajectory culminating in a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, after which recovery operations are normally conducted.

The primary objective of the two Starfall Demo missions is to demonstrate the performance of the Starfall reentry capsule under operational flight conditions. SpaceX plans to launch the vehicle either into Low Earth Orbit or on a direct suborbital trajectory aboard a Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) or a Starship v3 launch vehicle before executing a controlled atmospheric reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The designated landing region lies approximately 700 nautical miles west of the U.S. coast in international waters, outside the Exclusive Economic Zones of the United States and Mexico and avoiding designated marine sanctuaries. Vehicle recovery is planned following splashdown, including retrieval of parachutes, heat shields, and other components wherever practical.