US-based space research company Varda Space Industries successfully landed a capsule in the Utah desert on February 21. Equipped with a camera, the 90 cm-wide (3 ft) capsule captured stunning footage of its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. A remarkable video of the spacecraft’s descent, revealing Earth’s blue horizon, was shared on social media, captivating viewers with its breathtaking imagery.
Varda Space Industries shared the video on X, stating, “Here’s a video of our capsule ripping through the atmosphere,” highlighting the authenticity of the footage with the caption “no renders, raw footage.”
Here's a video of our capsule ripping through the atmosphere at mach 25, no renders, raw footage: pic.twitter.com/ZFWzdjBwad— Varda Space Industries (@VardaSpace) February 28, 2024
The video quickly went viral, amassing over 1 million views, with viewers expressing awe at the captivating transition of hues.
This remarkable achievement was part of Varda’s efforts to test space manufacturing technologies. Weighing less than ninety kilogrammes, the Varda-developed capsule was a component of a Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft that was launched in June 2023 as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-8 rideshare mission. During its mission, the capsule was used to produce crystals of a drug called ritonavir in microgravity conditions.
Despite encountering delays in securing regulatory approvals, including a commercial reentry license from the Federal Aviation Administration and approvals from the U.S. Air Force, Varda successfully landed the capsule in the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). It is now planned to return the capsule to Varda’s Los Angeles facility for examination and to ship the ritonavir crystals to Improved Pharma for post-flight characterisation.
Varda Space Industries plans to share all the data collected through the mission with the Air Force and NASA, in accordance with existing agreements. The company aims to leverage its microgravity platform to develop innovative solutions in therapeutic development, paving the way for commercially viable microgravity-enabled drug processing.
As reported by Spacenews.com, Varda Space Industries is gearing up for a second mission, utilizing another Rocket Lab spacecraft, scheduled for launch this summer. In October, Varda revealed a partnership with Australian company Southern Launch to land the capsule at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia. Varda explained that accessing this range should be simpler than UTTR due to fewer competing users, marking a strategic move for the company.
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