Varda Space Industries, a privately held American space research company headquartered in El Segundo, California, is on a mission to expand the economic bounds of humankind. Founded in November 2020 by Will Bruey, Delian Asparouhov, and Daniel Marshall, Varda designs, builds, and flies spacecraft that manufacture materials in microgravity, targeting products that are difficult to produce in Earth’s gravity.
The Vision and Mission
Varda’s vision is to leverage the unique environment of space to create products that will benefit life on Earth. With the advent of reusable rockets lowering the cost of access to space and opening up a range of in-space activities, Varda recognizes that it’s what we do in space that counts. From more powerful fiber optic cables to new, life-saving pharmaceuticals, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space.
Varda’s mission is to accelerate innovation in the space industry and create products that will benefit life on Earth. The company aims to achieve this by designing and operating spacecraft that manufacture materials in microgravity, and then bringing those materials back to Earth with their atmospheric reentry vehicle.
The Founders and Team
Varda Space Industries was founded by a team uniquely suited to accomplish its ambitious goals. Will Bruey, a former electrical engineer at SpaceX, brings his expertise in spacecraft design and operations. Delian Asparouhov, associated with Founders Fund, provides strategic vision and fundraising acumen. Daniel Marshall rounds out the founding team.
The company has grown to over 70 employees, with office and industrial production space in El Segundo, California. Varda also maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The team includes experts in spacecraft engineering, microgravity manufacturing, and business operations.
Funding and Investors
Varda Space Industries has attracted significant investment from leading venture capitalists. In December 2020, the company raised $9 million in an initial funding round. In July 2021, Varda secured an additional $42 million in a funding round led by Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund. Other notable investors include Lux Capital, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.
The substantial funding has allowed Varda to rapidly develop its spacecraft and manufacturing capabilities. The company’s valuation reached $500 million in May 2023, cementing its status as a leading player in the emerging in-space manufacturing industry.
Spacecraft Design and Capabilities
Varda began designing its first generation of space vehicles in January 2021 to manufacture new materials in microgravity and send those materials back to Earth in a reentry capsule. The microgravity environment and absence of dust particles are particularly beneficial for producing certain pharmaceuticals, fiber optics, and computer chips.
In August 2021, Varda announced a contract with Rocket Lab to acquire three Photon satellite buses, with an option for a fourth, to carry out its space station missions. The first bus was delivered in Q2 2023. Varda’s spacecraft include a full suite of subsystems and components built in-house by Rocket Lab, including spacecraft engines, flight software, avionics, reaction wheels, star trackers, capsule dispensers, solar panels, radios, composite structures, and tanks.
The spacecraft are designed to provide power, communications, ground control, and attitude control to Varda’s manufacturing capsules on orbit. While initially designed for a four-month lifespan, Varda’s first mission demonstrated the robustness of the spacecraft, successfully operating for more than eight months.
Launches and Missions
In October 2021, Varda selected SpaceX as its launch provider for its first four missions. The company’s first 300 kg spacecraft launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-8 mission in June 2023, focused on demonstrating the ability to produce pharmaceuticals in microgravity.
Varda’s first mission, dubbed W-1, grew Ritonavir crystals, commonly used in antiviral medication, in its on-orbit manufacturing capsule. The mission timeline was more than doubled from its initial four-month design, showcasing the spacecraft’s reliability.
Returning the W-1 capsule to Earth proved to be a regulatory challenge. Originally planned for mid-August 2023, the reentry was delayed due to issues between FAA regulatory requirements and the landing site at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). Varda explored alternative landing options, including the Koonnibba Test Range in Australia, but ultimately secured FAA approval for a U.S. landing.
On February 21, 2024, Varda’s W-1 capsule successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere and landed at the UTTR at 21:40 UTC. The capsule reached hypersonic speeds greater than Mach 25 (approximately 30,000 km/h) during its reentry, guided by precision trajectory optimization maneuvers conducted by Rocket Lab’s operations team.
The successful mission was the first of four planned flights using Rocket Lab spacecraft. The remaining missions are scheduled to launch before the end of 2024, with spacecraft currently undergoing assembly, integration, and testing at Rocket Lab’s facility in Long Beach, California.
Impact and Future Prospects
Varda Space Industries’ successful W-1 mission marked a significant milestone in the nascent in-space manufacturing industry. It was the first demonstration of pharmaceutical production in space outside of the International Space Station, paving the way for commercial manufacturing in microgravity.
The ability to produce high-value, low-volume products like pharmaceuticals and advanced materials in space has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries. By leveraging the unique properties of microgravity, Varda aims to create products with improved performance and novel characteristics that are impossible to achieve on Earth.
As Varda continues to refine its spacecraft and manufacturing processes, the company is poised to become a leader in the in-space manufacturing sector. With a strong team, significant funding, and a track record of successful missions, Varda is well-positioned to expand the economic bounds of humankind and bring the benefits of space manufacturing to Earth.
Looking ahead, Varda plans to scale up its operations and expand its product offerings. The company is exploring partnerships with pharmaceutical, materials science, and technology companies to develop new applications for in-space manufacturing. As the cost of access to space continues to decline and the regulatory environment evolves to support commercial space activities, Varda is at the forefront of a new era of space industrialization.