Varda is designing and building the infrastructure needed to make low Earth orbit accessible, from in-orbit production equipment to reliable reentry capsules.
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We’re 3 for 3 in orbit this October. This time, it’s space drugs. W-7 carries pharmaceutical hardware and a promising new type of cancer medicine known as a protein degrader. Microgravity will help overcome one of its biggest limitations: poor solubility.
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Watch our third launch of the month, W-7, take off from Cape Canaveral, live with SpaceX: spacex.com/launches/bandwago…
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The drugs are packed, front and center, ready for launch.
Teams encapsulated 32 payloads ahead of Falcon 9’s launch of the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Florida → spacex.com/launches/bandwago…
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One week update: Two capsules on orbit, all systems nominal. W-8 and W-9 are zooming, and so are we. Here's a look inside our new mission control with our operators at the consoles.
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Here’s a quick rundown of our payloads:
W-8:
- Canopy Aerospace’s Smart TPS-F to measure reentry using fiber-optic sensors.
- Next-generation thermal protection materials funded through two partners: a government program, and the @AFResearchLab, which funds payloads through the Prometheus program.
W-9:
- Navigation system designed to collect data during hypersonic flight.
- Additional heatshield materials from @syensqo.
More vehicles, more returns, more data, double the fun.
This is the first time Varda has launched two spacecraft on the same rocket.
We’ve operated two vehicles in orbit simultaneously but launching W-8 and W-9 together represents a shift to fleet operations as we increase launch and reentry cadence.
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This is the first time Varda has launched two spacecraft on the same rocket.
We’ve operated two vehicles in orbit simultaneously but launching W-8 and W-9 together represents a shift to fleet operations as we increase launch and reentry cadence.
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It’s a double feature! Watch W-8 and W-9 deploy together with @SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission:
spacex.com/launches/transpor…
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Up next, Falcon 9 will launch 130 payloads to orbit from California aboard the Transporter-18 mission. Liftoff is targeted for 11:22 a.m. PT → spacex.com/launches/transpor…
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Today, we’re announcing Varda’s $250M Series D raise, bringing the total amount of capital raised to $598 million with a $1.6B valuation.
This funding will help us build more vehicles, grow pharmaceutical partnerships, and advance toward the first medicine manufactured in space for patients on Earth.
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Six missions flown, three more vehicles at the launch site, and two heavyweights joining Varda: Steve Layne as CRO and Aaron Huber as CFO.
Their job is to fund the world’s first orbital manufacturing fleet and deliver space-made pharmaceuticals to patients.
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Mikael Dolsten has joined Varda's Board of Directors. ☄️
Mikael spent 16 years as Chief Scientific Officer and President of Pfizer R&D — overseeing 36+ medicine and vaccine approvals and advancing 150+ drug candidates into clinical studies.
As we bring the first space-made medicines to market, his experience leading drug discovery at the highest level is invaluable.
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Last week, we announced a partnership with United Therapeutics that we believe will result in the first commercial products made in space.
Read more from @techreview:
United Therapeutics is collaborating with Varda Space Industries to test pharmaceuticals in outer space. trib.al/XZC8zcL
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After nearly a full year in orbit, our W-4 demo mission has come to an end after performing a disposal burn.
Cheers to a great vehicle and a great set of data. The W-5 and W-6 missions were even better thanks to what we learned from W-4.
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W-6 is back.
This flight pushed on two fronts: autonomous hypersonic navigation and next-generation thermal protection systems.
High-cadence reentry missions in repeatable conditions.
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At 10:43 PM Pacific time today, the W-6 vehicle executed its final deorbit maneuver and reentered the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds for its roughly 20-minute descent. We are excited to announce that our sixth mission is officially home. Great catch @SouthernLaunch. Expect photos soon.
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Varda believes humanity's first space-made product will be a pharmaceutical.
Today we announced a research collaboration with United Therapeutics. Together we will explore the use of microgravity to develop improved formulations of medicines for rare pulmonary disease aboard Varda’s orbital platform. Small molecule drugs will fly to low Earth orbit, form novel crystals in microgravity, and come home via our W-series reentry capsule.
Through this collaboration we will pioneer pharmaceutical processing in space, to benefit people on Earth.
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Why do we take drugs to space?
Microgravity gives us a fundamentally different environment to manufacture pharmaceuticals that would otherwise be impossible on Earth. Improved formulations made in microgravity could translate into several potential benefits:
• Improved bioavailability, allowing drugs to dissolve and be absorbed more consistently.
• Enhanced stability, which can extend shelf life or reduce the need for cold-chain storage.
• Improved delivery methods, including inhaled or controlled-release therapies.
• Enabling formulations that deliver the drug more efficiently to the intended site of action.
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Varda flies regular missions to orbit and back; soon reentry will be as common as launch.
Learn more about our research and our process: varda.com/biopharma
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