Varda Space Industries Operates Two Orbiting Spacecraft and Plans Eight More Missions by 2027

Varda Space Industries is operating two refrigerator-sized manufacturing spacecraft in orbit and plans to launch a third later this month. According to CEO Will Bruey, the October 1 launch aboard a SpaceX rideshare mission marked humanity's first simultaneous launch of multiple commercial reentry vehicles. The current payloads include pharmaceuticals, navigation demo systems, and exterior thermal materials.

Varda aims to land all three active vehicles before Christmas in the South Australian Outback. The startup also plans to fly seven more missions in 2027 and is shifting from one-off flights to a fleet mentality. The company recently raised $251 million in funding and plans to hire 100 people by the end of 2027 to scale its operations.

However, the wider industry faces uncertainty due to SpaceX's planned retirement of the Falcon 9 rocket around 2028 or 2029. While newer rockets remain immature and short-term capacity is constrained, Varda stated it is stacked with launches through 2029. The company ultimately aims for daily flights using assembly-line vehicles that can ride on anything from small rockets to SpaceX's Starship.