Investors Back Ambitious Space Manufacturing Ventures
▼ Summary
– Varda Space Industries has made progress in developing the manufacturing-in-space industry, completing three low-Earth orbit missions this year.
– The company raised $187 million in Series C funding, bringing its total funding to $325 million since its 2021 founding.
– Varda’s autonomous spacecraft supports microgravity experimentation and manufacturing, with its first mission successfully demonstrating pharmaceutical processing in orbit.
– The company launched its own spacecraft bus and reentry vehicle for the first time in the W-4 mission, marking a hardware milestone.
– Varda plans to fly four missions using its own spacecraft next year and expand operations from its 30,000-square-foot facility in El Segundo.
The space manufacturing sector is gaining serious momentum as investors pour millions into pioneering companies like Varda Space Industries. The California-based startup recently secured $187 million in Series C funding, pushing its total capital raised to $325 million since its 2021 launch. This financial boost signals growing confidence in the viability of off-world production capabilities.
Varda’s cofounder and president, Delian Asparouhov, revealed that a significant portion of the new funds will accelerate production and refine next-generation spacecraft technology. “Increasing reusability is a game-changer for our vehicle design,” he noted, emphasizing the company’s focus on sustainable space operations.
Specializing in autonomous orbital manufacturing, Varda’s compact spacecraft can transport payloads for microgravity research, drug development, and hypersonic testing. Its debut mission, W-1, successfully demonstrated pharmaceutical crystallization in space by processing ritonavir, an HIV treatment. Since then, the company has launched three additional missions, W-2, W-3, and W-4, partnering with high-profile clients like NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
The latest mission, W-4, marked a milestone as Varda deployed its proprietary spacecraft bus and reentry system for the first time, moving beyond reliance on Rocket Lab’s hardware. While initial telemetry looks promising, the true test will come during reentry later this year.
With a sprawling 30,000-square-foot facility in El Segundo, Varda processes spacecraft and hosts labs for pharmaceutical research, including biologics crystallization. Asparouhov confirmed plans for four missions using in-house hardware next year, with ambitions to ramp up flight frequency thereafter. The company’s progress underscores the expanding role of private ventures in shaping the future of space-based industry.
(Source: Ars Technica)
