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Space Factories Launch: Varda's W-5 Reaches Orbit
29 Nov
Summary
- Varda's W-5 spacecraft successfully reached orbit aboard a SpaceX launch.
- The mission aims to create specialized materials using microgravity in space.
- The mission includes testing hypersonic flight for the U.S. Air Force.
Varda Space Industries has successfully deployed its W-5 spacecraft into orbit, following a launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on a SpaceX Transporter-15 mission. This latest flight is part of Varda's initiative to develop "space factories" designed for manufacturing specialized materials in the microgravity environment of orbit. These materials, especially advanced pharmaceuticals, can be produced with greater purity than possible on Earth.
With the W-5 now operational, Varda is simultaneously managing two of its "W-Series" reentry vehicles in space for the first time. The mission carries a U.S. government payload funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Prometheus program. This payload is intended to test the performance and survivability of materials under extreme hypersonic conditions during reentry into Earth's atmosphere at speeds exceeding Mach 25.
Varda's W-5 reentry vehicle comprises a hypersonic capsule, a satellite bus for essential functions, and a protective heatshield. The company has an ongoing contract with AFRL through 2028, enabling regular access to its commercial capsules as a reusable test platform for hypersonic experiments, thereby increasing test frequency without substantial infrastructure investment.
