The “first space pharmaceutical factory” successfully deployed in orbit

(Screenshot from Varda's Twitter account. Link below)

The W-Series 1 satellite platform of the startup Varda Space Industries has been successfully deployed in low Earth orbit.

The device became the first private space laboratory for experiments with the components of drugs.

In the first flight, the company researched the drug ritonavir, used in the treatment of HIV and AIDS.

The idea of creating production lines in near-Earth orbit has been around for a long time.

That’s why experiments on growing semiconductor or protein crystals or melting metals have been carried out both on orbital stations and on satellites.

However, so far, the commercialization of such ideas is hampered by their high cost, and it is easier to establish production on Earth.

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THE INNOVATION
Varda Space Industries proposes to reduce the cost of space experiments, especially in the fields of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, through the use of small satellite factories.

On Earth, experimental equipment will be loaded into them, the experiments themselves will be carried out in near-Earth orbit.

In addition, the company proposes to use the reentry capsule as a test bed for experiments in the field of hypersonics during the re-entry of the capsule into the Earth's atmosphere.

The company's first vehicle was the W-Series 1, which consists of

• a return capsule
• a production module weighing about 90 kilograms
• a Photon orbital tug from Rocket Lab (which first puts the satellite into the desired orbit, and then helps to get off it).

Up to 10-15 kilograms of cargo can be returned to Earth in the form of experimental results.

The platform was launched into low-Earth orbit as part of the Transporter-8 mission using a Falcon 9 launch vehicle on June 13, 2023.

It is expected that the total duration of the device will be more than a month.

During this time its systems will be tested first, and then experiments will be carried out (the company does not specify which ones) with the drug ritonavir used in the treatment of AIDS and HIV.

After that, the capsule will return to Earth, using parachutes for a soft landing.

Sources:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VardaSpace/status/1668395454852390912
• Interesting Engineering: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/worlds-first-space-factory-successfully-deployed

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