California-based startup Varda Space Industries is set to make history with its first space mission, which involves the re-entry and landing of a miniature lab in Utah. The lab, carried by the company’s “Winnebago” spacecraft, has been conducting an experiment to grow crystals of the drug ritonavir in orbit. The experiment was successfully completed on June 30, marking the first time that drug processing has occurred outside of a government-run space station. Varda’s co-founder, Delian Asparouhov, expressed his excitement and noted that this is just the beginning of commercializing microgravity and building an industrial park in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The 660-pound satellite, built in partnership with Rocket Lab, will be commanded to perform a braking maneuver, dropping it out of orbit and sending it back to Earth. During re-entry, Varda’s re-entry capsule will separate from the carrier craft and be protected by an ablative carbon-based heat shield material developed by NASA. The capsule will then deploy a main parachute for a gentle landing at the US military’s Utah Test and Training Range southwest of Salt Lake City.
Varda is currently working with Rocket Lab, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the military to schedule the mission’s return to Earth. While the landing window opens on July 17, the actual date is expected to be later this month. However, one requirement that is still pending is the FAA’s approval of a commercial re-entry license application. Once approved, Varda Space will become the third company to receive a commercial FAA re-entry license and the first under streamlined commercial spaceflight regulations.
Varda Space Industries was founded in 2020 with the goal of commercializing microgravity and off-planet manufacturing. The company has raised $53 million from investors and venture capital firms and aims to revolutionize industries such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and fiber optic manufacturing through in-space manufacturing. By flying standalone satellites instead of relying on the International Space Station, Varda hopes to reduce the time it takes for experiments to be approved and increase the capacity for cargo return from space.
With its innovative approach to space missions and its focus on low-cost re-entry vehicles, Varda Space Industries is blazing a new trail in the commercial space industry. The successful completion of its first mission marks an important milestone towards a future where space exploration and manufacturing become more accessible and profitable.