SpaceX set to launch Starfall Demo mission on Falcon 9
SpaceX is set to launch its experimental Starfall Demo mission on Tuesday, June 23, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, US, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to SpaceX, the one-hour launch window opens at 6:43 a.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on June 24 at the same time.
The mission will mark the 29th flight of the Falcon 9 first-stage booster, which has previously supported a range of missions, including Crew-6, USSF-124, BlueBird 1-5, SES O3b mPOWER-B, Nusantara Lima, and 23 Starlink launches.
After stage separation, the first stage is scheduled to land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX plans to begin a live webcast of the launch on its website and X account around 10 minutes before liftoff.
The demonstration flight will test its ability to survive orbital insertion, controlled de-orbiting, atmospheric reentry, and ocean splashdown recovery operations.
Starfall is a compact, reusable reentry capsule designed to return payloads from low Earth orbit to Earth. The system is intended to provide uncrewed, point-to-point cargo delivery of Earth- and space-manufactured products, ensuring safe atmospheric reentry and recovery.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that SpaceX had overtaken Amazon in market value after a sharp rise in its share price following last week's record-breaking initial public offering (IPO).
