With Starfall, SpaceX eyes an edge in global cargo delivery from orbit
Summary
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket to test Starfall, a new cargo delivery vehicle designed to bring goods from low-Earth orbit back to Earth quickly. Starfall is a small, saucer-shaped pod that will reenter the atmosphere and land by parachute in the Pacific Ocean after orbiting the planet twice.Key Facts
- Starfall is a reentry pod shaped like a saucer, built to carry cargo from space to Earth.
- The first Starfall test flight will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a Falcon 9 rocket.
- After two orbits around Earth, Starfall will reenter and splash down in the Pacific Ocean 800 miles west of California.
- Starfall weighs about 6,800 pounds, including up to 2,200 pounds of cargo capacity.
- The vehicle uses compressed nitrogen gas to orient itself during reentry but cannot slow down or deorbit on its own.
- SpaceX plans to recover Starfall and its parachutes after splashdown for reuse.
- The project aims to support fast, point-to-point delivery of cargo through space and could assist commercial space manufacturing businesses.
- The U.S. military might use Starfall technology for rapid supply deliveries to remote locations.
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