SpaceX Launches Secretive Starfall Return Capsule for Second Time on Bandwagon-5 Rideshare Mission

SpaceX launched its secretive Starfall return capsule for the second time during a rideshare mission from Florida. The disk-shaped spacecraft flew as one of 32 payloads on a Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Starfall sits at the top of the payload stack and measures roughly 2.5 feet tall and 10.2 feet wide, according to a Federal Aviation Administration environmental assessment. The vehicle weighs about 4,600 pounds and can return up to 2,200 pounds of payload to Earth. SpaceX stated in June that the capsule is designed to provide affordable and routine access to microgravity for scientific research and manufacturing.

The mission, designated Bandwagon-5, also carried Varda Space Industries' W-Series 7 orbital mini-factory for producing goods like pharmaceuticals in space. Other payloads included cubesats and microsats, such as Planet's Pelican-12 Earth-observation satellite. Starfall was scheduled to separate last, releasing from the rocket's upper stage nearly three hours after liftoff.

SpaceX has remained relatively quiet about the capsule since its debut demonstration flight in June. That initial test was designed to prove the vehicle can fly in a controlled manner and survive atmospheric reentry.