Enlarge / Artist’s illustration of Varda’s reentry capsule.
Varda Space Industries has secured an agreement with a private range operator in Australia for spacecraft landings, following the US government’s refusal to allow the reentry of Varda’s first experimental mission. This mission, which carried pharmaceuticals manufactured in orbit, was denied approval to land at a military test range in Utah. Varda is now exploring other options for future missions and has plans to conduct regularly scheduled missions into low-Earth orbit for pharmaceutical research and manufacturing. The California-based startup has received venture capital funding to launch four test missions, with the aim of perfecting the necessary technologies. The reentry vehicle, a 200-pound capsule, is a crucial component that needs to be tested for successful spacecraft landings. Varda’s leaders have always intended to have multiple landing sites and are now prioritizing the search for alternative options. The company has reached an agreement with Southern Launch, an Australian firm, to conduct reentry operations at Koonibba Test Range in mid-2024. Varda still needs to obtain a commercial reentry license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for this mission. Obtaining approval from the FAA and Australian regulators is expected to be easier due to less air traffic and no competition with military operations. Varda expressed confidence in its ability to safely reenter its spacecraft and stated that even if retrieval is not possible, conducting test-firing of the propulsion system will enhance its understanding of future missions. The company has also won a contract with the US Air Force to use its reentry vehicles for testing materials used in hypersonic missiles and aircraft. Varda’s chairman expressed his desire for military ranges, like the one in Utah, to make changes to accommodate commercial spacecraft reentries. He also mentioned the challenges faced by the FAA in keeping pace with the rapid growth of the commercial space industry.
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