SpaceX launched the first test flight of its Starfall reentry capsule on June 23, 2024, spending several hours in orbit before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the Mexican coast. The mission carried a payload from Starbase Brewing, a Texas brewery that tested how yeast responded to space exposure.

The flight illustrates growing interest in using suborbital and orbital reentry vehicles to return experiments and manufactured goods to Earth. While the International Space Station and its commercial successors support many microgravity experiments, a increasing number of startups in the United States, Europe and Asia are developing dedicated reentry spacecraft.

Companies such as Varda Space Industries, Outpost, Reditus Space and ElevationSpace have flown or are developing reentry capsules with payload capacities ranging from 100 kilograms to 10 tons. Varda has completed six missions that carried pharmaceutical and advanced material experiments, including a partnership with United Therapeutics to study drug formulation in microgravity. Outpost is developing a vehicle, the CarryAll Block 3, capable of returning up to 10 tons of cargo. Reditus Space’s ENOS capsule is scheduled for a SpaceX rideshare launch later this year.

SpaceX announced the Starfall program in May after the Federal Aviation Administration published an environmental assessment of planned test flights using Falcon 9 or Starship rockets. The FAA described Starfall as a vehicle intended to support point‑to‑point cargo delivery and to “create a self‑sustaining commercial in‑space manufacturing market by offering access to microgravity and vacuum, loiter on orbit, and safe return from orbit as a service at scale.” The spacecraft weighs about 2,100 kilograms and can carry up to 1,000 kilograms of payload.

Startup executives have viewed SpaceX’s entry as both competition and validation of the market. Kazunari Miyamaru, chief operating officer of ElevationSpace, said the announcement signaled “finally” and could help open the market. Amir Blachman, president of Outpost, noted that the company is packaging its precision landing technology for separate sale. Varda chief executive Will Bruey said the company relies on high‑cadence SpaceX Transporter rideshare flights and worries about future launch availability after 2028.

Limited launch capacity from SpaceX, including a reported pause on new rideshare reservations after late 2028, has prompted reentry firms to seek alternative launch providers such as Rocket Lab’s Neutron and other small launch vehicles. Industry participants expect new launchers to lower costs and increase flight opportunities in the 2030s. While many startups may not survive, participants agree that competition is needed to sustain a diverse reentry market.