US Air Force recovers Starfall capsule cargo modules in Pacific Ocean — Space.com
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) recovered experimental cargo modules in the Pacific Ocean that the SpaceX Starfall capsule delivered to orbit and returned to Earth. The test is intended to help assess the possibility of rapidly transporting cargo by rocket between remote points on the planet, Space.com reports.
Launch on Falcon 9
The Starfall capsule was launched on October 20 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Bandwagon-5 mission from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. On board were AFRL-developed cargo modules intended to transport military equipment through space and then return it to Earth.
On October 26, AFRL reported the recovery of the modules after their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, with SpaceX support. In photographs released by the laboratory, service members unpack one of the modules for inspection.
The modules were equipped with sensors that recorded temperature during launch, atmospheric reentry and splashdown. They also measured the shock and vibration loads experienced by the cargo.
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Cargo for testing
For the first Starfall mission, the laboratory loaded the modules with samples of medical equipment, food rations and other military gear that could be useful for survival during an emergency in hard-to-reach terrain. AFRL also said it paid particular attention to electronic equipment and survival tools, including a satellite tracker, batteries, a reverse-osmosis desalination unit and emergency medical equipment.
The laboratory tested the possibility of placing a UNI-PAC III life raft in Starfall, which could potentially be included in subsequent tests. Mission data will be used in the broader Rocket Cargo program, under which the U.S. Air Force seeks to assess the prospects of transporting tens of tons of cargo in a single launch.
According to an environmental assessment released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the disc-shaped Starfall has a diameter of about 3.1 meters and can return up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo from orbit. The vehicle is equipped with carbon-fiber thermal protection, compressed-gas engines for attitude control during atmospheric reentry, and a parachute system for precise landing.
