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.

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.

That 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.

We’ll have more on this mission as it’s re-entry date draws near.