SpaceX gets US approval to test new Starfall capsules for space manufacturing
Baku, June 2, AZERTAC
SpaceX will soon test reentry vehicles that could enable in-space manufacturing and rapid point-to-point cargo delivery, Interesting Engineering reported citing the documents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
On May 15, the FAA issued an environmental assessment for test flights of the new reentry vehicle, called Starfall. Separately, the agency issues a record of decision approving the test flights. This was all announced to the public in an “FAA Space Update” on May 29.
New information on SpaceX’s secretive Starfall project
SpaceX has remained tight-lipped when it comes to providing specific details to the public regarding Starfall. The FAA documents provide some interesting insight into the project, which was first reported by Bloomberg last year.
The FAA documents approve two reentries of Starfall capsules in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 1,300 kilometers off the coast of California. They will fly into orbit aboard either a Falcon 9 or a Starship rocket before coming back down for reentry. A direct suborbital trajectory straight to the landing zone is also an option.
The circular capsules measure 3.1 meters in diameter ((10.2 feet) and 0.75 meters in height (2.5 feet). They are made up of a top plate and a heat shield, which is jettisoned before splashdown. Together, they weigh 2,100 kilograms (4,630 pounds).
According to a SpaceNews, the capsules will be able to carry up to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds) of payload within a volume of 2.5 by 1.5 by 0.5 meters (8.2 × 4.9 × 1.6 feet).
The capsules include cold-gas attitude control thrusters for propulsion. To slow their descent, they feature a single main parachute, as well as pilot and drogue parachutes. The reentry vehicles will splash down at sea, where SpaceX teams will recover them using boats.
Boosting the in-space manufacturing market
According to the newly released documents, Starfall will provide both in-space manufacturing and point-to-point cargo delivery services. This is in line with previously announced plans for Starship to rapidly deliver military cargo for the U.S. military.
The Starfall vehicles could also serve as a “proliferated successor” to the International Space Station (ISS), as they could support “a self-sustaining manufacturing economy in space”.
In order to create a “self-sustaining commercial in-space manufacturing market”, the vehicles would offer access to “microgravity and vacuum, loiter on orbit, and safe return from orbit as a service at scale,” the documents state.
The FAA’s documents do not provide any information regarding potential launch dates for the first Starfall missions. However, the agency does clearly state that Starfall would be a large-scale project if it is eventually greenlit and officially announced by SpaceX.
According to the documents, Elon Musk’s private space company “plans to develop a mass-producible reentry vehicle that can precisely deliver cargo from space to various locations on Earth, which would be able to launch on either Falcon 9 or Starship.”
Interestingly, Starfall could put SpaceX in direct competition with companies that have relied on SpaceX rocket launches for their business models. Varda Space Industries, for example, has flown six in-space manufacturing W-series spacecraft aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare missions. Other companies, including Inversion and Armos Space Cargo, have also flown their reentry vehicles aboard SpaceX’s workhorse rocket.
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