[ad_1]
Varda Space Industries has received long-awaited approval from regulators to return its first spacecraft to Earth — and with it, a batch of pharmaceutical crystals manufactured in orbit.
Varda’s Winnebago capsule has been in limbo for months. The company launched the spacecraft eight months ago on a SpaceX transporter mission, with plans to return to Earth last July. but Varda was there Unable to secure requisite regulatory authorization To attempt a landing, the spacecraft was left stuck in orbit while the company worked with regulators to bring it home.
With this approval, Varda is now targeting a landing attempt at the Air Force’s Utah Test and Training Range on February 21. The capsules contain crystals of the drug ritonavir, which is used to treat HIV/AIDS, which were manufactured in orbit. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft, which placed Varda’s manufacturing capsule in orbit, will burn up in the atmosphere upon reentry.
“We are incredibly proud to have this opportunity with our government partners and we appreciate their dedication to securing innovation in the United States,” Varda said in a statement.
In the same statement, the El Segundo-based startup noted that it was the first to seek permission to reenter a spacecraft under a new set of FAA rules, known as Part 450. This is the first time the FAA has granted a license to land to a commercial company. A spaceship on American soil. (SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is allowed to land in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.)
Varda is one of a handful of startups looking to exploit the benefits of microgravity for manufacturing materials such as pharmaceuticals. The company aims to return spacecraft containing manufactured materials to Earth monthly by 2026. For its next mission, which is yet to be launched, Varda said it will land its second spacecraft at Australia’s Koonibba Test Range this year.
[ad_2]
Thanks For Reading