Varda

Varda builds and operates small spacecraft that process materials in low Earth orbit, then bring them back to Earth in reentry capsules. The company targets applications where microgravity produces results that gravity prevents on the ground, including pharmaceutical crystal structures and morphologies relevant to drug development. It also serves government customers by offering its reentry capsule as a hypersonic testbed for atmospheric reentry and autonomous navigation testing. Founded in 2021 by Will Bruey, a former SpaceX engineer, and Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund, Varda designs and builds its vehicles at a production facility in El Segundo, California, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. Its W-series capsules have completed orbital missions and demonstrated autonomous navigation and thermal protection on reentry. A collaboration with United Therapeutics is applying the platform to treatments for rare pulmonary disease.