TL;DR: SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Oct. 20, for Falcon 9 to launch 32 payloads on Bandwagon-5 from Cape Canaveral, including its Starfall reentry capsule.

New target after Monday plan slips to Tuesday

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Tuesday, October 20, for a Falcon 9 launch of the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

The one-hour window opens at 6:30 a.m. ET, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. If needed, there is a backup opportunity on Wednesday, October 21, with the same window, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

SpaceX had earlier lined up a launch before dawn on Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to Spaceflight Now. That Monday plan called for liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 during an hour-long window opening at 6:30 a.m. EDT, or 1030 UTC, according to Spaceflight Now.

A listing from Spaceflight Now describes the mission as scrubbed Oct. 19 due to poor recovery zone weather. The same program now lists liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a one-hour window opening at 6:30 a.m. EDT, or 1030 UTC, on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The rocket will fly on a southeasterly trajectory upon leaving the pad, according to Spaceflight Now. Spaceflight Now said it would have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff under the original plan.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which viewers can watch on the mission page and on X at SpaceX, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

What is flying: 32 payloads in one fairing

On board this mission are 32 payloads including cubesats, microsats, and reentry vehicles, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. SpaceX said teams encapsulated 32 payloads ahead of Falcon 9's launch of the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Florida.

Many of the 32 payloads onboard SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission were pictured prior to full encapsulation inside a Falcon 9 payload fairing, according to Spaceflight Now.

Beyond SpaceX's Starfall capsule, 20 of the remaining 31 payloads to be deployed were manifested by multinational mission management company Exolaunch, according to Spaceflight Now.

Those Exolaunch-manifested payloads include four radio-frequency monitoring satellites from Virginia-based HawkEye 360, according to Spaceflight Now. They also include four communications satellites for Finnish micro satellite company Iceye, according to Spaceflight Now. The set also includes six navigation satellites from California-based Xona Space Systems, according to Spaceflight Now.

Booster B1085 makes its 19th flight

SpaceX will launch the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1085, according to Spaceflight Now. This will be its 19th flight, according to Spaceflight Now.

Its prior launches included NASA's Crew-9, according to Spaceflight Now. They also included Fram2, according to Spaceflight Now. They also included Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, according to Spaceflight Now.

Additional prior flights listed for B1085 were RRT-1, SXM-10, SXM-11, MTG-S1, EchoStar25, and 10 batches of Starlink satellites, according to Spaceflight Now. The SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page gives a closely matching flight history of Crew-9, RRT-1, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2, SXM-10, MTG-S1, EchoStar XXV, SXM-11, and 10 Starlink missions.

Nearly nine minutes after liftoff, B1085 will target a landing on the droneship A Shortall of Gravitas, according to Spaceflight Now. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

If successful, this will be the 167th landing on this vessel and the 672nd Falcon booster landing to date, according to Spaceflight Now.

Countdown and early flight milestones

The SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load at 38 minutes before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. RP-1 loading and first-stage liquid oxygen loading begin at 35 minutes before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Second-stage liquid oxygen loading begins at 16 minutes before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch at seven minutes before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

The command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks at one minute before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure also begins at one minute before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

The SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch at 45 seconds before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. The engine controller commands the engine ignition sequence to start at three seconds before launch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Max Q, the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket, occurs at 1 minute 9 seconds after liftoff, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. First-stage main engine cutoff occurs at 2 minutes 26 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

The first and second stages separate at 2 minutes 29 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Second-stage engine start, or SES-1, follows at 2 minutes 37 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Fairing separation occurs at 3 minutes, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

First-stage entry burn starts at 6 minutes 36 seconds and ends at 7 minutes 3 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Second-stage engine cutoff, or SECO-1, occurs at 8 minutes 17 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

First-stage landing burn starts at 8 minutes 33 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. First-stage landing is listed at 8 minutes 58 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Deployment sequence stretches past two hours

A second burn of the second-stage engine starts at 53 minutes 48 seconds and cuts off at 53 minutes 52 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Customer deployments then begin before the one-hour mark and continue past one hour, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

T.MicroSat-3 via Tron Future Tech deploys at 57 minutes 18 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. T.MicroSat-4 via Tron Future Tech deploys at 57 minutes 35 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. FOSSASAT-2E27 deploys at 57 minutes 58 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Tomorrow-S15 deploys at 58 minutes 1 second, manifested by Tomorrow.io, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Tomorrow-S14 deploys at 58 minutes 15 seconds, manifested by Tomorrow.io, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. LEO Express 4 deploys at 58 minutes 22 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Hawk-15C deploys at 58 minutes 32 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. SIRIUS-B deploys at 59 minutes 8 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. SIRIUS-A deploys at 59 minutes 39 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Hawk-15A deployment events are listed at 59 minutes 54 seconds and 1 hour 16 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Hawk-15B deploys at 1 hour 19 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

ICEYE-4 deploys at 1 hour 56 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. ICEYE-2 deploys at 1 hour 1 minute 9 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Pulsar-02 deploys at 1 hour 1 minute 24 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Pulsar-04 deploys at 1 hour 1 minute 39 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. ICEYE-1 deploys at 1 hour 1 minute 48 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Pulsar-03 deploys at 1 hour 1 minute 53 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. ICEYE-3 deploys at 1 hour 1 minute 58 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

PTS-1 via Xona Space Systems deploys at 1 hour 2 minutes 29 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Acadia-11 deploys at 1 hour 2 minutes 31 seconds, manifested by Capella Space Corp, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Pulsar-01 deploys at 1 hour 2 minutes 43 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. FRG-100D4 deploys at 1 hour 2 minutes 48 seconds, manifested by Fergani, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Starburst-1 deploys at 1 hour 3 minutes, manifested by Portal Space Systems, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. PTS-2 via Xona Space Systems deploys at 1 hour 3 minutes 30 seconds, manifested by Exolaunch, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Pelican-12 deploys at 1 hour 3 minutes 33 seconds, manifested by Planet Labs, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Acadia-12 deploys at 1 hour 3 minutes 35 seconds, manifested by Capella Space Corp, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

GNOMES-11 deploys at 1 hour 4 minutes 14 seconds, manifested by PlanetiQ, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. MAXWELL deploys at 1 hour 5 minutes 37 seconds, manifested by Viasat, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. W-Series 7 deploys at 1 hour 5 minutes 58 seconds, manifested by Varda Space Industries, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Umbra-14 deploys at 1 hour 7 minutes 10 seconds, manifested by Umbra Lab, Inc., according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Umbra-13 deploys at 1 hour 9 minutes 30 seconds, manifested by Umbra Lab, Inc., according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page. Starfall deploys at 2 hours 48 minutes 28 seconds, according to the SpaceX - Bandwagon-5 Mission page.

Weather outlook for the window

The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 55 percent chance for acceptable weather during the launch window, according to Spaceflight Now. Launch weather officers said a cold front along southern Florida will bring gusty winds at liftoff that are approaching constraints to launch, according to Spaceflight Now.

There is also a moderate to high risk that weather at the recovery site for the first stage booster will not be acceptable, according to Spaceflight Now. Occasional coastal showers are also possible within persistent onshore flow, although these are expected to be shallow and low-topped, with some more stratiform in nature, launch weather officers wrote in a prelaunch forecast, according to Spaceflight Now. Therefore, the Cumulus Cloud Rule is a secondary concern, launch weather officers wrote, according to Spaceflight Now.

Starfall returns for a second flight

SpaceX first debuted its reentry capsule called Starfall back in June, according to Spaceflight Now. During that mission, SpaceX did not reveal that its spacecraft was onboard the rocket until fairly close to flight, according to Spaceflight Now.

Even at that point, the company just shared a rendering of the vehicle and did not disclose during its launch broadcast when it would be deployed, according to Spaceflight Now.

Zachary Luppen, an avionics supply chain engineer at SpaceX and commentator during the June 23 broadcast, said SpaceX developed a new spacecraft called Starfall with a microgravity lab at its core for researchers and entrepreneurs, according to Spaceflight Now. Luppen also said research and manufacturing in microgravity, as demonstrated on the International Space Station, offer an opportunity to benefit life on Earth, according to Spaceflight Now.

The Federal Aviation Administration noted in an environmental assessment of Starfall that the vehicle is about 0.75 meters, or 2.5 feet, tall, according to Spaceflight Now. The FAA said it is 3.1 meters, or 10.2 feet, in diameter, according to Spaceflight Now. The FAA said it has a mass of about 2,100 kilograms, or 4,600 pounds, according to Spaceflight Now.

The FAA said a single Starfall capsule has the ability to support up to 1,000 kilograms, or 2,200 pounds, of payload mass, according to Spaceflight Now. SpaceX did not state what, if any, payloads were onboard this Starfall mission, according to Spaceflight Now.

Two capsules built to come home

SpaceX's Starfall is not the only reentry vehicle onboard the Bandwagon-5 mission, according to Spaceflight Now. Varda Space Industries, which focuses on pharmaceutical research missions, is launching its W-Series 7 spacecraft, which is about three times smaller than Starfall, according to Spaceflight Now.

Despite the name, W-7 will be Varda's ninth reentry capsule launched to date, according to Spaceflight Now. W-8 and W-9 were launched earlier this month on the Transporter-18 mission, according to Spaceflight Now.

W-7 features the cancer drug called Protac and will study whether microgravity can improve its solubility, according to Spaceflight Now. Varda wrote on its website prior to launch that molecules in microgravity can crystallize differently than on Earth, potentially producing crystal forms with improved properties including better solubility, according to Spaceflight Now. Varda wrote that a successful experiment could help turn protein-degrading molecules into more practical and effective cancer treatments, according to Spaceflight Now.

Also onboard Bandwagon-5 is the Starburst-1 demo mission from Portal Space Systems Inc., according to Spaceflight Now. The 260 kg spacecraft is designed to perform orbital maneuvers and support a customer payload of up to 50 kg, according to Spaceflight Now.

This first demonstration of the Starburst spacecraft is fully funded by Portal to prove capability ahead of customer missions, the company said on its website, according to Spaceflight Now. Customer flights are advertised as starting in 2027, according to Spaceflight Now.

Sources referenced