Varda is designing and building the infrastructure needed to make low Earth orbit accessible to industry. From in orbit production equipment to reliable, and economical reentry capsules. Low Earth Orbit is now open for business.
Reusable rockets have decreased the cost to get to orbit by orders of magnitude. This access offers the ability to expand on, and bring to market, decades of materials research conducted on the likes of the International Space Station and other space habitats. To complete the logistics chain, Varda’s system offers a reentry system tailor made for materials born in space. Shipping to space, and back, is just shipping.
Varda production facilities are launched into orbit aboard commercial launch vehicles, with dedicated options available.
Once in orbit, Varda’s pharmacutical processing equipment gets to work, heating, mixing, cooling and performing other functions in a microgravity environment that yield novel results.
Once the processing run is complete, Varda’s capsule separates from the orbital satellite.
Varda’s capsule reenters the Earth’s atmosphere, and lands on land via a parachute. The capsule, and processed materials are recovered for post flight analysis.
Processing materials in microgravity, or the near-weightless conditions found in space, offers a unique environment not available through terrestrial processing. These benefits primarily stem from the lack of convection and sedimentation forces, as well as the ability to form more perfect structures due to the absence of gravitational stresses.
These effects are “locked” into the material, typically through material crystallization, before being brought back to Earth.
Varda’s W-Series stands alone as the only all in one commercial satellite and reentry vehicle built specifically for the return of materials from orbit. Other operational reentry vehicles are built with humans in mind, meaning significant costs are added through the need for life support systems, and other amenities needed to sustain astronauts.
Once materials are processed in orbit, they’re only useful if they can be returned for use on Earth. Varda’s W-Series spacecraft is a free flyer, meaning it is self-sustaining, fully independent of other space stations, and contains its own reentry vehicle to bring materials back to Earth post processing.
The reentry capsule is designed from the ground up to complete the logistics chain, allowing orbital materials an inexpensive ride back down to Earth, while operating as reentry research platform itself through its frequent flights.
Varda’s W-Series stands alone as the only all in one commercial satellite and reentry vehicle built specifically for the return of materials from orbit. Other operational reentry vehicles are built with humans in mind, meaning significant costs are added through the need for life support systems, and other amenities needed to sustain astronauts.