SpaceX is set to launch its uncrewed Starfall reentry capsule on the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station before dawn on Monday. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 32 payloads into orbit during a one-hour window opening at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC). The launch will follow a southeasterly trajectory from Space Launch Complex 40.

Live coverage will begin approximately one hour before liftoff. The 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 55 percent chance of acceptable conditions, citing gusty winds associated with a cold front moving across southern Florida as a primary concern. There is also a moderate to high risk that weather at the first stage booster recovery site may not meet requirements.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster designated B1085 will attempt its 19th flight following previous launches supporting NASA’s Crew-9 mission, the Fram2 private astronaut flight, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, and multiple Starlink and government payloads. After stage separation, B1085 will target a droneship landing named A Shortall of Gravitas, which would mark its 167th successful landing and the 672nd Falcon booster recovery to date.

Of the 32 payloads aboard Bandwagon-5, 20 were arranged through Exolaunch, a multinational mission management company. These include four radio-frequency monitoring satellites from HawkEye 366, four communications satellites from Iceye, and six navigation satellites from Xona Space Systems. The remaining payloads include the Starburst-1 demonstration spacecraft from Portal Space Systems and the W-7 reentry capsule from Varda Space Industries.

Starfall, a 0.75-meter-tall capsule weighing approximately 2,100 kilograms, is designed to support up to 1,000 kilograms of scientific and commercial payloads in microgravity. The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the vehicle for reentry operations. SpaceX has not disclosed the specific payloads aboard this particular Starfall unit.

Varda Space Industries is flying its W-7 capsule, the ninth in its W-Series fleet, to conduct an experiment on the solubility of the cancer drug Protac in microgravity. The company notes that molecular crystallization can differ in microgravity, potentially yielding improved formulations for pharmaceutical applications. This mission follows two recent Varda launches on the Transporter-18 rideshare flight.

Portal Space Systems’ Starburst-1 spacecraft, weighing 260 kilograms, will demonstrate orbital maneuvering capabilities and support up to 50 kilograms of customer payloads. The company describes the mission as fully funded to validate performance ahead of future commercial flights, which it plans to offer beginning in 2027.

The launch represents a continued effort by SpaceX to provide dedicated rideshare opportunities for small satellite operators and specialized payloads, including reentry capsules designed for in-space manufacturing and scientific research.