Permission denied for reentry of Varda’s orbiting experiment capsule [updated]

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Permission denied for reentry of Varda’s orbiting experiment capsule

The FAA says Varda launched its vehicle into space without a reentry license.

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A first-of-its-kind commercial spacecraft owned by an in-space manufacturing startup called Varda Space Industries has been in orbit two months longer than originally planned, waiting for government approval to return to Earth with a cache of pharmaceutical specimens.

Varda's satellite launched on June 12 for what was originally supposed to be a monthlong mission to demonstrate the company's technology for producing commercial materials, mainly pharmaceuticals, inside a recoverable capsule designed to return the products to Earth for laboratory analysis and eventual commercial exploitation.

Read More: Ars Technica

 

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Varda partners with Australian range for capsule landings

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Varda Space Industries has signed an agreement to land spacecraft at an Australian range as it continues work to secure approvals to land its first spacecraft in Utah.

Varda announced Oct. 19 an agreement with Southern Launch, a spaceport operator based in Adelaide, Australia. Under the agreement, Varda’s spacecraft will land at the Koonibba Test Range northwest of Adelaide, a facility covering more than 23,000 square kilometers northwest of Adelaide design to host suborbital launches and spacecraft landings.

Varda is developing a series of spacecraft intended to test in-space manufacturing technologies, with an initial focus on pharmaceuticals. After the experiments are complete in orbit, a capsule will return the materials to Earth.

Read More: ➡️ SpaceNews