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Varda Space Industries’ W-2 reentry capsule is seen shortly after its safe landing at Australia’s Koonibba Test Range on Feb. 28, 2025. | Credit: Varda Space Industries
Varda Space has successfully landed a reentry capsule in Australia, delivering critical data that could advance in-space manufacturing and hypersonic technologies.
California-based startup Varda’s Winnebago-2 (W-2) capsule launched along with 130 other payloads on Jan. 14 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, on the Transporter 12 rideshare mission. After six weeks in orbit, the capsule made a fiery plunge through Earth’s atmosphere, landing Feb. 28 at Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, which is operated by Southern Launch.
W-2 contained a spectrometer from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and a Varda enhanced pharmaceutical reactor for the company’s in-orbit manufacturing plans. The capsule used a heat shield with a Thermal Protection System (TPS) developed in collaboration with NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.
Varda Space Industries’ W-2 capsule created a fireball during its reentry to Earth’s atmosphere on Feb. 28, 2025. | Credit: Varda Space Industries
The spectrometer, the Optical Sensing of Plasmas in the Reentry Environment (OSPREE) sensor, is expected to provide the first-ever in situ optical emission measurements of the reentry environment past Mach 15, according to Varda. The instrument is part of a longer-term partnership between Varda and AFRL for testing hypersonic systems and reentry technologies.
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“We are ecstatic to have W-2 back on our home planet safely and are proud to support significant reentry research for our government partners as we continue building a thriving foundation for economic expansion to low Earth orbit,” Will Bruey, CEO of Varda Space Industries, said in a statement.
The 265-pound (120 kilograms) capsule was supported in orbit by a Pioneer satellite bus built by Rocket Lab, which provided power, communications, propulsion and other necessary capabilities.
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The successful return to Earth of W-2 also marked a breakthrough for the Australian space sector, according to officials.
“This return highlights the opportunity for Australia to become a responsible launch and return hub for the global space community — capitalizing off the geographic advantages of our expansive continent,” said Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, in a statement.
The W-2 landing came a year after the company’s first mission, W-1, which landed in Utah in February 2024. The mission saw W-1 in orbit for eight months before delivering to Earth crystals of an antiviral drug that were grown in orbit.
