Air Force Flies Cargo Pods in SpaceX's Starfall Capsule as Rocket Cargo Shrinks to Reentry Pods
AFRL's Oct. 20 test put military supplies inside a one-ton-class commercial reentry capsule, the vehicle class the Air and Space Forces now favor over the 30-ton rocket deliveries Rocket Cargo began with.
AFRL's Oct. 20 test put military supplies inside a one-ton-class commercial reentry capsule, the vehicle class the Air and Space Forces now favor over the 30-ton rocket deliveries Rocket Cargo began with.
Lab-designed cargo pods flew inside SpaceX's Starfall reentry capsule on Oct. 20 in a Rocket Cargo test, the Air Force Research Laboratory said. The capsule rode a commercial rideshare from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Air Force test on Oct. 20?
The Air Force Research Laboratory flew lab-designed cargo pods inside a SpaceX Starfall reentry capsule on a commercial rideshare from Cape Canaveral, with sensors measuring temperature, shock and vibration, AFRL said.
What was inside the cargo pods?
AFRL listed a satellite-communications-enabled tracker, batteries, a reverse osmosis desalinator, survival gear and emergency medical equipment. Engineers also fit-checked a UNI-PAC III life raft for future flights.
How much can Starfall carry?
Starfall can return up to 1,000 kilograms of payload under parachutes, per Defence Blog, far below the 30 tons per launch Rocket Cargo originally targeted.
Why is the military shifting to smaller capsules?
An AFRL spokesperson told Breaking Defense that capsules allow faster unloading, delivery to more varied austere sites and several capsules per launch, along with a broader vendor base.
How is the capsule effort funded?
The Payload Delivery System has $30.6 million in the Air Force's fiscal 2026 budget and $21.2 million in the Space Force's, with fiscal 2027 requests of $32.3 million and $16.5 million, according to Breaking Defense.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.