Varda Space and SpaceX are working together. The space manufacturing company wants to send a spacecraft into space in early 2023, and SpaceX will make it happen.
The plan is to send their first spacecraft on a Falcon 9. However, the mission is to focus on producing all sorts of materials in microgravity. At the moment, we don’t know much about the terms of their contract, but the news itself is pretty exciting.
The mission will last about three months and will return to Earth in a reentry capsule. What kind of materials will be produced in space? Will it work? We will. Find out by the end of 2023.
Why SpaceX? According to a Varda Space spokesman, SpaceX can ensure the lowest price and good quality. The co-founder Will Bruey is familiar with the space agency, and they haven’t looked very far before choosing to work with them.
Why not Rocket Lab Electron? Although Varda Space is not ruling them out, SpaceX is more favorable for their first mission. However, they might work with Rocket Lab Electron in the future.
“The playing field is changing so rapidly,” he said. “There’s a world where we don’t necessarily launch with SpaceX on our second and later missions,” said Delian Asparouhov, co-founder and president of Varda Space.
Hopefully, the first mission will provide enough data about manufacturing materials in microgravity. The space manufacturing company plans on sending two other spacecraft by the end of 2024.
Unfortunately, we don’t know what the company wants to produce in orbit, but we expect more details soon. However, according to Asparouhov, they won’t be doing something new. International Space Station (ISS) is not new to this subject.
However, the new Verda Space mission will challenge the current competition a little bit. Developing the reentry capsule is the real challenge here. Returning materials to Earth will be an exciting and challenging mission for the team to handle.
“Strictly speaking, reentry is harder than any manufacturing hardware apparatus,” said Will Bruey, co-founder and chief executive of Varda Space. “Hitting the atmosphere at Mach 28 is the hardest problem.”