Southern Launch and Varda Space Industries, a US microgravity-enabled life sciences company, have received authorisation from the Australian Government for a series of returns at the Koonibba Test Range.
The return authorisation is the first granted by the Australian Government for a domestically returning spacecraft under the amended Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018. The authorisation will see three Varda pharmaceutical manufacturing capsules re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and land in the Koonibba Test Range.
This authorisation makes Varda the first company to be able to re-enter spacecraft on land in two countries after Varda received a re-entry license from the US Federal Aviation Authority. The company hopes this achievement will usher in an orbital economy where spacecraft re-entry is as common as launch.
Southern Launch and Varda will collaborate on a series of W-Series missions which will put South Australia on the map as the global hub for orbital re-entry.
Varda Space Industries are pioneers in developing orbital manufacturing capsules. The natural advantages of the space environment, in particular microgravity, enables the production of improved pharmaceutical formulations that cannot be produced on Earth.
The first of the W-Series re-entry missions, W-2, is scheduled for early 2025 at the Koonibba Test Range, which Southern Launch operates in partnership with the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.
The W-2 mission includes payloads from NASA and other US government partners, along with Varda’s internal research that aims to expand process capabilities and capacity of orbital pharmaceutical hardware.
“Gaining approval from the Australian Government is a testament to the incredible work the Varda and Southern Launch teams have put in during the approval process,” said Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp. “Southern Launch has extensive experience in gaining launch facility licenses and launch permits from the agency, and we are proud that our expertise now extends to return authorisations.”
“Varda is honoured to perform Australia’s first commercial space re-entry, and we’re excited to partner with our friends at Southern Launch to support the development of a thriving Australian space sector,” said Varda Space CEO Will Bruey. “Australia is clear-eyed about the promise of orbital pharmaceutical processing, and Southern Launch has led the way for the future of space infrastructure on Earth.”
“This historic authorisation is a powerful signal of Australia’s opportunity to become a responsible launch and returns hub for the global space community,” said the Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo. “We have always had geographic advantages that make us a desirable place for launch and returns, but the introduction of our Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) with the US is accelerating that growth. The TSA is forging stronger links between our commercial sectors and enabling new possibilities.”
“The Koonibba Test Range offers more than 41,000 square kilometres of uninhabited land to accept the re-entry of in-space manufacturing capsules,” added Damp. “This open space combined with low air traffic means we can accept a high cadence of re-entry missions. This is essential for low-earth orbit to be the home for humanity’s next evolution of industrial capacity.”
