Bandwagon-5 carried 32 payloads
SpaceX launched 32 payloads on the Bandwagon-5 mission, including the Starfall uncrewed reentry capsule, according to the available coverage. The payloads included cubesats, microsats and reentry vehicles, with Starfall intended to return customer experiments and other payloads from space to Earth.
Weather prompted a delay
The mission had initially been planned for Monday, October 19, but unfavorable weather led SpaceX to delay the launch. Coverage reported that the launch took place Tuesday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida; the supplied evidence does not independently establish the exact launch time.
Reentry and booster plans
SpaceX said the Falcon 9’s first stage was expected to land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean after stage separation. The supplied material does not independently confirm that the landing occurred.
Visible launch effects
The launch was reported to have produced a “jellyfish”-like cloud formation visible along the U.S. East Coast early Tuesday. The effect was described as occurring when a launch exhaust plume catches sunlight while the ground remains in darkness near dawn or dusk; the available evidence does not identify the precise viewing location or confirm the formation through an official launch authority.
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