A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the Starfall reentry capsule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 20, 2026, carrying a UNI-PAC III inflatable liferaft and survival gear for a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Rocket Cargo test, New Atlas reported.
What Starfall carried
The reported payload included a protective cargo pod designed for quick loading, shock protection and a stable interior. Sensors inside it tracked temperature, vibration and g-loads, while an emergency beacon combined satellite communications with GPS/GNSS. Extra batteries were also aboard.
The survival kit centered on the UNI-PAC III raft. Its reported supplies included emergency locator beacons, a reverse-osmosis desalination unit, bottled water, MREs, a handheld radio, duct tape, matches, a flashlight, space blankets, a first-aid kit and a compass.
Starfall’s capacity and equipment
New Atlas described Starfall as a disk-shaped reentry vehicle 3.1 meters in diameter, with a stated cargo capacity of up to one metric ton. That figure describes the capsule’s capacity, not a measured load for this flight.
The reported vehicle equipment included a heat shield, cold-gas thrusters for piloting and a recovery parachute. New Atlas also reported that AFRL’s longer-term aim is to work with multiple launch companies toward payloads measured in tens of metric tons per launch.
What a cargo-return service would involve
An explainer published June 24, 2026, before the AFRL test, described a recurring orbital cargo-return service as requiring orbital operations, controlled reentry, recovery and prompt delivery to a laboratory. It said regular service and competitive pricing had not been demonstrated as of that date. The explainer predates the October launch.
The launch was one test in AFRL’s broader Rocket Cargo effort; the program’s longer-term payload goal extends well beyond Starfall’s reported one-metric-ton capacity.
