SpaceX launches European reentry capsule on 'Bandwagon-3' rideshare mission (video)

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"Our mission is to revolutionize space logistics, enabling groundbreaking advancements in microgravity research, in-orbit manufacturing, defense applications and life sciences."

SpaceX just sent a pioneering European capsule to the final frontier.

a white and black rocket gives off a large plume as it lights its engines to lift off off its launch pad

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 21, 2025 (Image credit: SpaceX)

The goal is to test the Phoenix system's inflatable heat shield and other core technology, showing the craft can safely bring valuable cargo from space to Earth — something Atmos plans to do for a variety of customers in the near future.

"Our mission is to revolutionize space logistics, enabling groundbreaking advancements in microgravity research, in-orbit manufacturing, defense applications and life sciences," the company's website reads.

Bandwagon-3 is a rideshare mission, so Phoenix 1 wasn't alone on the Falcon 9. Also going up today were 425Sat-3, which will be operated by South Korea's Agency for Defense Development, and Tomorrow-S7, a satellite for the weather-forecasting outfit Tomorrow Companies Inc.

a rocket stage gives off a glowing orange plume as fires its engine to land in the darkness of night

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen returning to land after launching the Bandwagon-3 payload on April 21, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The Bandwagon series, whose first two missions launched in April 2024 and December 2024, isn't SpaceX's only rideshare line.

Elon Musk's company also operates a program called Transporter, which has 13 missions under its belt to date. The first Transporter flight sent 143 satellites to orbit in January 2021, a single-launch record that still stands.

Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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