German space logistics company ATMOS Space Cargo has announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch the test flight of its Phoenix re-entry capsule aboard the SpaceX Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission in April 2025.
ATMOS has positioned its Phoenix capsule as a platform for in-orbit life sciences research. It will be capable of carrying payloads of up to 100 kilograms and remaining in orbit for up to three months. The capsule features an inflatable heat shield that, once deployed, will decelerate the vehicle’s speed to acceptable levels for a controlled water landing without parachutes.
In a 5 February press release, ATMOS revealed that in January 2025, the FAA had granted a positive payload determination for the inaugural flight of its Phoenix capsule.
After its launch, the Phoenix 1 prototype will remain attached to the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage until after it performs a deorbit burn. It will then be deployed into a trajectory bringing it back into Earth’s atmosphere. The test flight will enable the company to gather critical data on the performance of its inflatable heat shield during the re-entry phase of the mission. The mission is expected to conclude with the prototype’s destruction during re-entry.
“Driving advancements for reusable, affordable, and reliable downmass is critical to the success of orbital space development,” explained Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator and member of the ATMOS advisory board. “Having the ability to return life sciences and other types of microgravity research, rocket upper stages, military spacecraft, and manufactured resources could be the next breakthrough in space transportation.”
While just a test flight, the mission will carry payloads for DLR, IDDK from Japan, and the UK’s Frontier Space.
