Varda says it has proven space manufacturing works — now it wants to make it boring

Varda Space Industries, led by CEO Will Bruey, has demonstrated that manufacturing pharmaceuticals in space is not only feasible but poised for rapid expansion. In February 2024, Varda became the third company ever to return materials from orbit, successfully bringing back ritonavir crystals, an HIV medication, produced in microgravity. The company uses small W-1 capsules launched as rideshare payloads on SpaceX missions, where a Rocket Lab spacecraft bus supports the manufacturing process. Microgravity conditions in orbit eliminate forces like sedimentation and gravity that interfere with crystal growth on Earth, enabling Varda to produce drug crystals with greater uniformity, purity, stability, and longer shelf life—benefits that could significantly improve existing pharmaceuticals. Bruey emphasizes that Varda’s core business is not about space exploration but about leveraging space as a new manufacturing environment, likening their technology to a “magic oven” with a “gravity knob” that allows unique drug formulations. The company is not developing new drugs but