SpaceX Prepares to Launch 32 Payloads, Including Starfall and Varda Pharmaceutical Capsules
SpaceX is preparing to launch 32 payloads on Falcon 9 on Monday, including the Starfall capsule and a Varda capsule for cancer drug research.
SpaceX is preparing to launch 32 payloads on Monday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in a rideshare mission named "Bandwagon-5", according to coverage by Spaceflight Now.
The launch window opens at 6:30 a.m. EST (10:30 GMT) and lasts for one hour, with a 55% chance of favorable weather due to a cold front bringing strong winds near the launch limits.
The mission carries SpaceX's "Starfall" return capsule—a small microgravity laboratory measuring approximately 0.75 meters high, 3.1 meters in diameter, with a mass of about 2,100 kilograms—as well as Varda's "W-7" capsule carrying a cancer drug known as "PROTAC" to study improving its solubility in space.
The remaining payloads include 20 brokered by Exolaunch, featuring four radio-frequency monitoring satellites from HawkEye 360, four communications satellites for Finland's ICEYE, six navigation satellites from Xona Space Systems, alongside the Starburst 1 prototype from Portal Space Systems.
What Do These Terms Mean?
Rideshare mission: A single launch flight carrying equipment or satellites for multiple customers, reducing the cost of reaching orbit.
Return capsule: A vehicle designed to return from orbit to Earth carrying experiments or payloads.
Microgravity: A near-weightless environment allowing materials to crystallize in ways different from Earth.
Drug solubility: The ability of a pharmaceutical substance to dissolve in liquids, a factor affecting drug efficacy.
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