Varda’s first manufacturing satellite and reentry vehicle attached to a Rocket Lab Photon bus.
Rocket Lab
Space startup Varda received long-awaited approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to bring its first spacecraft back to earth after a stint manufacturing drugs in space.
Varda’s small W-Series 1 capsule, or W-1, has been stuck in orbit because it launched eight months ago. The corporate has awaited regulatory authorization to make a landing attempt in Utah, on the Air Force’s Utah Test and Training Range. The FAA confirmed on Wednesday it had issued the license to Varda.
The FAA’s approval means Varda will attempt to land the W-1 mission on Feb. 21.
“We’re incredibly proud to have this chance with our government partners, and appreciate their dedication to secure innovation in america,” Varda said in an announcement.
The W-1 mission is an illustration of the corporate’s automated in-space manufacturing process. Last 12 months, Varda announced the W-1 mission successfully produced the drug Ritonavir.
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While manufacturing in space isn’t a novel concept, Varda desires to take the method to the following level – to launch and return space-made products more quickly. The beginning-up plans to fabricate materials which might be more lucrative when made in orbit, reminiscent of fiber optic cables, pharmaceuticals, or semiconductors, because of benefits from manufacturing in a weightless environment.
Varda’s system uses Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft because the backbone of its operation. The beginning-up adds its manufacturing module, together with a heatshield-protected capsule to survive the extraordinary reentry process through the Earth’s atmosphere.
The corporate previously said it expects to return just a few kilograms of manufactured material on the W-1 mission.