BREAKING: The Pentagon is developing a way to launch military cargo into orbit, divide it among multiple reentry capsules, and deliver supplies near several battlefields from a single rocket. The Air Force and Space Force are moving away from the original Rocket Cargo concept, which centered on flying as much as 30 tons aboard one enormous reusable rocket. The new priority is a network of smaller, lower-cost capsules that can reenter independently and reach remote locations on land or at sea. The services jointly allocated $51.8 million to the Payload Delivery System effort in FY2026 and requested another $48.8 million for FY2027, according to Breaking Defense. AFRL has engaged SpaceX, Blue Origin, $RKLB, Sierra Space, Varda, Inversion Space, and Outpost Space as it seeks multiple capsule and launch providers. If successful, the Pentagon could pre-position critical supplies in orbit or launch them on demand, then send individual capsules toward forces operating across several distant or contested locations globally. The technology remains under development.

SpaceX's first Starfall Demo mission is underway with an on-time launch this morning from Cape Canaveral. arstechnica.com/space/2026/0…