W-Series In-Space Manufacturing Capsule

Varda Space Industries operates spacecraft that manufacture products in microgravity — the extended weightless environment of orbit — that cannot be produced (or are far superior when produced) in Earth gravity. The W-series spacecraft consists of a processing module (containing the manufacturing equipment) mounted on a Rocket Lab Photon satellite bus, plus a small reentry capsule (the ‘return vehicle’) that brings the finished product back to Earth.

W-1, Varda’s inaugural mission, launched on SpaceX Transporter-8 in June 2023 and manufactured Ritonavir (an HIV/hepatitis C antiviral drug) crystals in microgravity over several months. The microgravity environment allows drug crystals to form without sedimentation, producing more uniform crystal structure and potentially superior bioavailability. The W-1 capsule landed at the Utah Test and Training Range in January 2024 — the first commercial reentry capsule to return manufactured goods from orbit.

Varda Space was founded in 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov (Founders Fund). The company is backed by Khosla Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, and has a contract with the US Air Force Research Laboratory for manufacturing government-specified materials. Future products include fiber optic preforms, ZBLAN glass (useful for infrared fiber optic cables, far superior when made in microgravity), and semiconductor crystals.