SpaceX Bandwagon-5 Carries Starfall Capsule and Air Force Resupply Experiment
By Sandra Erwin, Will Robinson-Smith · · TexaHub · Space, Defence & Security
A Falcon 9 launched the Bandwagon-5 rideshare on October 20 with 32 payloads, including SpaceX's Starfall reentry capsule. The Air Force Research Laboratory used the flight to test point-to-point cargo delivery concepts.
Rideshare mission
Bandwagon-5 lifted off from Cape Canaveral after a weather scrub on October 19, and SpaceX said it deployed all customer payloads. The manifest included HawkEye 360, Iceye and Xona Space Systems satellites, Varda's W-7 capsule and Portal Space Systems' Starburst-1 demonstrator. [1][2]
Starfall is an uncrewed reentry capsule about 3.1 metres in diameter that can support up to 1,000 kilograms of payload. Spaceflight Now did not report the booster landing outcome. [1]
Military resupply test
The Air Force Research Laboratory tested its Rocket Cargo point-to-point delivery capability, checking whether military supplies can withstand spaceflight conditions on Starfall. The work is part of a Pentagon effort to study commercial vehicles for delivering equipment worldwide. [2]
Sources
[1] Live coverage: SpaceX to launch Starfall reentry capsule, 31 customer payloads on Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission — Spaceflight Now
[2] U.S. Air Force explores military resupply from space in latest SpaceX Starfall flight — SpaceNews