The co-founder of California-based startup Varda Space Industries says his company’s first space mission—a miniature lab that has grown crystals of the drug ritonavir in orbit—is on track to end in the coming weeks with a first-of-its-kind re-entry and landing in Utah.
Varda’s spacecraft launched June 12 as part of a rideshare mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, then completed several weeks of checkouts before starting a 27-hour drug-manufacturing experiment last week. When ground controllers gave the go-ahead, the mini-lab began growing crystals of ritonavir, a drug commonly used to treat HIV.
I have no idea if that specific drug will make a viable business model, but I’m glad that someone else is trying on-orbit manufacturing and getting development money. I know that MadeInSpace/RedWire have done some on-orbit manufacturing experiments on the ISS, but I love Varda’s private return capsule and its flexibility and speed. Whether or not any specific manufacturing can be a viable business model yet (meds, ZBLAN, silicon, etc), I’m hoping they also offer up their platform to contract out experiment/return capsule services.