Varda Space Industries Launches W-4 with the FAA's First-Ever Reentry Vehicle Operator License and Debuts an In-House Satellite Bus
The company's fourth mission will focus on demonstrating its new satellite bus, an in-house heatshield, and solution-based pharmaceutical processing.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Varda Space Industries, a microgravity enabled life sciences company, launched its fourth mission Sunday afternoon. The W-4 mission is the maiden flight for Varda's next-generation spacecraft, designed and built in Varda's El Segundo headquarters and manufacturing facility. This flight marks several other firsts for the company and the ever-expanding orbital economy.
While the mission profile is the same as previous flights, the entirety of this mission, with the exception of launch, is built, designed, and fully operated by Varda, including the pharmaceutical processing payload, the capsule, the heatshield, and the satellite bus.
The W-4 vehicle launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-14 rideshare mission at 2:25 pm Pacific time today from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. While in orbit, the satellite bus will provide the capsule with power, communications, attitude control, and propulsion. Once the orbital pharmaceutical processing portion of the flight is complete, the W-4 capsule will separate from the satellite bus and reenter the Earth's atmosphere. The capsule will reach speeds exceeding Mach 25 and ultimately land safely at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, operated by Southern Launch.
"Nothing is more exciting than the debut flight of a new commercial vehicle," said Varda CEO Will Bruey. "By vertically integrating, we can optimize for the flight cadence needed for our unique mission set, serving both pharmaceutical and government customers."
The W-4 mission also heralds several other firsts for the company, including:
- a heatshield produced entirely in Varda's factory,
- a new solution-based pharmaceutical development payload module, and
- permission from FAA to reenter capsules through 2029 via a vehicle operator license under FAA Part 450; the first of its kind.
A New Way to Process Pharmaceuticals in Orbit
The W-4 capsule's internal payload is a solution-based crystallization module. This flight is the first time Varda will make small molecule crystals using a fluid-based expanded architecture. Solution-based crystallization is a common way for laboratories on Earth to control particle size and polymorphism of small molecule drugs, and this capability adds to the growing tool set available to pharmaceutical researchers in microgravity. The W-4 mission will test this protocol by crystalizing a proprietary molecule.
"Varda is continuing to develop in-space process tools that meet the capability standards the pharmaceutical industry has come to expect, as well as our understanding of gravity's role in driving crystallization outcomes," said Adrian Radocea, Varda's Chief Science Officer. "Varda's high-cadence platform enables processing of pharmaceuticals in low Earth orbit outside the International Space Station, and we foresee increased demand to utilize the potential of microgravity for novel pharmaceutical development."
Varda Receives First-Ever FAA Vehicle Operator License Under Part 450
As the only autonomous commercial reentry option for bringing products to Earth from space, Varda has been a pioneer for both in-space manufacturing and regulatory firsts related to the FAA's Part 450 regulations. The W-4 mission is the first time the agency has issued a vehicle operator license under Part 450, which allows Varda to reenter W-series capsules as needed without submitting new safety methodologies to FAA for each identical flight, while still prioritizing public safety.
"Securing our Part 450 vehicle operator license is a major enabler for our reentry program. It gives us the regulatory flexibility to increase our flight cadence while holding ourselves to a consistently high safety bar," said Manoli Tsaparikos, Director of Mission Assurance at Varda. "Instead of seeking approval for each individual reentry, we can now operate under a comprehensive safety framework that supports routine, repeatable missions — exactly what's needed to scale access to space and make reentry as common as launch."
Varda's First In-House C-PICA Heatshield
The W-4 vehicle is equipped with Varda's first in-house manufactured heatshield, part of a NASA Tipping Point award and technology transfer licensing agreement for Varda to begin commercially producing C-PICA heatshield material. C-PICA (Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator) is an ablative material originally developed at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and has been used on the W-series capsules for Varda's first three successful flights.
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) uses partnerships to expand important space technologies and capabilities, leveraging emerging markets and capabilities to meet NASA's strategic goals and industry needs.
About Varda
Varda Space Industries is making reentry as common as launch. We are building the infrastructure for a thriving orbital economy and enabling foundational science, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical hypersonic reentry capsules. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, Calif. and also has offices in Washington, D.C. and Huntsville, Ala. Follow Varda on X (@vardaspace), Instagram (@vardaspaceindustries), and LinkedIn.
Media Inquiries: media@varda.com
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SOURCE Varda Space Industries Inc.