🚀 Now there is a factory in space

• Varda Space Industries launched its first in-orbit manufacturing spacecraft on board a SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
• The spacecraft is designed to produce pharmaceutical drugs in orbit.
• If successful, this could open up a new frontier for pharmaceutical production leveraging the microgravity environment of space.

Pioneering space production

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lit up the sky, taking 72 small satellites along for the ride. Among them, an exceptional passenger: the first in-space manufacturing spacecraft.

Its mission? To produce pharmaceutical drugs in orbit before returning them safely to Earth.

California-based Varda Space Industries, after launching from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, has now placed its first space factory in orbit.

This ambitious venture relies on a spacecraft built by Rocket Lab, offering power, communications, propulsion, and attitude control to Varda’s 264-pound capsule.

A step towards pharmaceuticals made in space

The goal? To manufacture products that can take full advantage of being created in a microgravity environment and can be swiftly delivered back to Earth. This vision is made possible by the improved access to space in recent years.

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It's expected to spend three months in orbit and deliver between 90 and 130 pounds of finished product.

Advantages of a microgravity environment

Founded in 2020 by a former SpaceX engineer, Varda aims to create superior products for Earth by leveraging the benefits of space.

The microgravity environment can lead to better production quality, decreasing gravity-induced defects. For instance, protein crystals grown in space form larger and more perfect structures than their Earth-made counterparts, according to NASA.

This project follows a successful fundraising round for Varda, having raised 42 million dollars less than a year after its inception.

The company ordered four Photon spacecraft from Rocket Lab for its in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing capsules, with the second one currently in assembly.

If everything goes according to plan, we might soon see the first payload of space-produced drugs returning to Earth in a Varda capsule.

Next steps and future plans

Varda's initial focus is on the in-space development of ritonavir, a drug used to treat HIV and more recently utilized in the antiviral medication Paxlovid for Covid-19 treatment.

In addition to this, the company has secured a 60 million dollar contract from the U.S. Air Force STRATFI for hypersonic tests. Their test rig is expected to reach a speed of Mach-25 during its re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.

Varda's venture into space is more than just a fascinating exploration. It's a step towards a future where space becomes an essential part of our economies, industries, and daily life. The success of this mission could unlock a new realm of possibilities for the world of pharmaceuticals and beyond.

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