SpaceX readies Starfall cargo capsule for first reentry demo on June 23

SpaceX will launch its Starfall cargo capsule on June 23 from Cape Canaveral for the first Starfall reentry demo. The non-propulsive capsule is designed to haul payloads to low Earth orbit and return them to Earth, featuring a dual section with a carbon-fiber heat shield and relying on Falcon 9’s second stage for the deorbit, with a Pacific splashdown planned about 700 nautical miles off the West Coast and the booster targeting an Atlantic droneship landing; a backup window is set for June 24. Starfall can carry up to 2,200 pounds and is intended to retrieve materials from orbital manufacturing for research payloads, not to carry astronauts. The mission follows FAA filings and contrasts with prior smaller reentry efforts by companies like Varda Space.