In a milestone first for commercial space return logistics, Exolaunch deployed PHOENIX, a reentry 250 kg demonstration capsule developed by Germany's ATMOS Space Cargo, aboard SpaceX's Bandwagon-3 mission.

The spacecraft was delivered into a mid-inclination orbit and deployed using Exolaunch's flight-proven CarboNIX 24” separation system. Once on orbit, PHOENIX successfully activated and transmitted telemetry to ground stations across South America — confirming the first inflation of ATMOS's inflatable thermal protection system.

This historic mission was conducted under a new commercial reentry regulatory framework supported by Germany's BMWK and coordinated with the U.S. FAA. With this deployment, Exolaunch has now delivered 530 spacecraft across 36 missions, including cutting-edge technology demonstrations at the frontier of in-space logistics.

• Mission

  Bandwagon-3

• Launch vehicle

  Falcon 9

• 1 spacecraft

  Deployed via Exolaunch's CarboNIX 24” separation system

• Customer

  ATMOS Space Cargo

• Launch site

  Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA

• Launch period

  April 21, 2025