Starfall Unveiled: SpaceX's Secretive New Return Capsule Explained
SpaceX's Starfall is a disk-shaped return capsule designed to carry about 1,000 kg of payload, lacks a traditional propulsion system, and uses an inert-gas attitude-control system to reenter and splash down in the Pacific via parachutes; FAA documentation notes two demonstration reentries with open-ocean splashdowns off the U.S. West Coast and capsule recovery. It can launch on Falcon 9 or Starship and aims to enable rapid point-to-point space cargo and a scalable in-space manufacturing market, a field also pursued by Varda Space and Outpost Space, with SpaceX targeting thousands of Starfall flights once Starship is fully online.