Air Force reports successful space cargo capsule test in Pacific

The Air Force Research Lab says it successfully tested delivery of military supplies from space, with a SpaceX Starfall capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The capsule launched aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. Its cargo included meals, bottled water, spare batteries and a tracker enabled for satellite communications. The capsule uses a carbon fiber heat shield during reentry, compressed gas thrusters to control its orientation and parachutes to slow its landing. Starfall has a capacity of up to 2,200 pounds. The Air Force's reported ambition to deliver tens of tons would require larger SpaceX Starship rockets, which remain in development.