US startup's space capsule lands on Earth carrying space-grown antiviral drug

American startup Varda Space Industries' space capsule landed on Earth on Wednesday (Feb 21) afternoon, carrying crystals of an antiviral drug that were grown in orbit. In a statement, Varda said that its W-1 (Winnebago-1) mission re-entry capsule touched down in the Utah Desert at the Utah Test and Training Range. "From here, our capsule will be transported back to our facilities in Los Angeles for post-mission analysis," the statement said.

"From here, our capsule will be transported back to our facilities in Los Angeles for post-mission analysis. The Ritonavir vials onboard the spacecraft will be shipped to our collaborators Improved Pharma post-flight characterisation," the statement added.

Varda said thatdata collected throughout the entirety of the capsule's flight will be shared with the US Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under a contract that the space startup has with the agencies.

Winnebago-1 was launched in June last year as a payload of SpaceX Transporter-8 mission. According to a report by Space.com, the W-1 capsule contained materials necessary to grow crystals of Ritonavir- a drug used for treating HIV and hepatitis C.

A week after Transporter-8's liftoff, the startup said its crystal-growing experiment had worked.

In a post on X on June 30 last year, Varda said, "Over the last day, for the first time ever, orbital drug processing happened outside of a government-run space station. Our crystallization of Ritonavir appears to have been nominal. This is our first step in commercializing microgravity and building an industrial park in LEO."

Varda was supposed to bring Ritonavir crystals after just a month or two in orbit. However, it faced problems getting the required reentry approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the military.

(With inputs from agencies)