Watch: Spacecraft captures its own re-entry into Earth from space

The small W- spacecraft of Varda Space Industries , which landed at the Utah Test and Training Range on February 21, had a camera installed that captured its trip back to Earth.

The camera, which was fitted inside the 90 cm- (3 ft)-wide capsule, captured the way in which the spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere of the Earth.

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Video captures eerie sounds of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere

The re-entry was made in steps, from separating the satellite bus in low Earth orbit (LEO) to making a fiery re-entry intoEarth's atmosphere, to the deployment of a parachute and the bouncy landing.

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When the 5-minute video ends, a pair of legs appear wearing muddy shoes to gather the parachute and then retrieve the capsule. The video is also very unique because it contains sounds of reentry and landing.

Speaking in an interview, Varda CEO Will Bruey said, "We manufacture pharmaceuticals in space. Removing gravity allows us to make medicines you otherwise couldn't on Earth. Gravity is kind of like a parameter. If you put a temperature knob on an oven, you create a whole world of new recipes and new food you can create. Similarly, if you can change gravity, you can also change the chemical process for drug formulations."

W-1 was integrated with a Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft (the upper stage of the Electron rocket) for eight months, which provided the capsule with power, propulsion, and navigation.

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"This mission was a phenomenal feat and impressive display of teamwork between the Rocket Lab and Varda teams to develop a unique and highly capable spacecraft, successfully demonstrate in-space manufacturing and bring back the capsule and finished pharmaceutical product – all on the first attempt," said Rocketlab CEO Peter Beck, in a press release.

"The success of this reentry mission will also inform our work on developing a reentry capsule for Neutron to potentially enable human spaceflight missions," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)