Varda Space Industries is at the forefront of a revolutionary approach to manufacturing. Their goal is to utilize the unique environment of space, specifically microgravity, to mass produce pharmaceuticals and other valuable materials.
Varda Space Industries, a California-based startup established by a former SpaceX employee, achieved a major milestone with the successful deployment of their first satellite, W-Series 1. This satellite marks the beginning of a new era in material production, targeting the creation of substances that are either impossible or significantly improved when manufactured in space’s microgravity environment.
Varda announced the news via Twitter shortly after the launch, highlighting that the satellite’s solar panels have successfully activated and the initial stabilization process is underway. The launch itself occurred on Monday, June 13th, aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-8 mission.
California Startup Launches Pioneering Space Manufacturing Satellite
Varda’s W-Series 1 hitches a ride on a Rocket Lab Photon platform, a versatile satellite system also chosen by NASA for two upcoming missions to Mars in 2025. This launch represents a crucial step in Varda’s testing program, aiming to validate the effectiveness of their satellite design for producing pharmaceuticals in the space environment.
Space Pharmaceuticals: Varda Launches Platform for Drug Production
Varda leverages existing scientific knowledge demonstrating that protein crystals can achieve superior structures when grown in space, free from the disruptive influence of Earth’s gravity. Past research, like a pharmaceutical study conducted by Merck on the International Space Station https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/, exemplifies this advantage. Their experiment yielded a more stable version of pembrolizumab, the key ingredient in the cancer drug Keytruda. Building on these findings, Varda’s inaugural mission targets ritonavir, a crucial antiviral medication recently used in Paxlovid for COVID-19 treatment. Their goal is to investigate the potential for developing this drug in the microgravity environment.