SpaceX launches secret Starfall cargo capsule on test flight

SpaceX lifted off a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on 23 June 2026 carrying the previously unknown Starfall capsule. The mission, kept under tight secrecy, had its live webcast cut after ten minutes and aimed to demonstrate a reusable, disk‑shaped cargo return vehicle.

Starfall is a low‑profile capsule about 75 cm tall and 3.1 m in diameter, capable of transporting roughly 1 000 kg of payload from low‑Earth orbit back to Earth. According to FAA filings, the capsule can provide “access to micro‑gravity and vacuum” for in‑space manufacturing and enable “point‑to‑point delivery of critical cargo through space on rapid timelines,” which could include military hardware. The capsule uses cold‑gas attitude‑control thrusters, has no propulsion of its own, and relies on a host vehicle for de‑orbit and a predetermined re‑entry trajectory before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

The test marks SpaceX’s first demonstration of this technology, expanding its logistics capabilities beyond launch services and hinting at future commercial and defense applications.