Which company is behind this [[spacecraft::A vehicle or machine designed to operate in outer space, with or without a crew.]]?
Varda Space Industries, the company behind a drug-making spacecraft, recently got permission to bring it back to Earth. The spacecraft is carrying medicinal crystals made in space. It's called the Winnebago [[capsule::A small part of a spacecraft that helps to store and deliver collected samples or other materials from space.]] (W-1 capsule), and it was launched on 12th June 2023 on a SpaceX rocket.
It took a while for Varda to get permission to land the spacecraft back on Earth. Varda plans to land it on 21st February 2024 at the US Air Force's Test and Training Range in Utah, USA. For the future, the company agreed to land some capsules in South Australia.
What medicines were being made on the spacecraft?
The W-1 capsule, while in space, made Ritonavir crystals. This is a medicine for [[HIV::Stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is the virus that can cause AIDS, a serious disease that affects the body's ability to fight infection.]] and [[hepatitis C::A type of liver infection.]]. Varda wants to make more things like this in space.
Why has Varda Space Industries planned to manufacture medicines and other items in space?
The company plans to make different things in space using its spacecraft as a lab. They say that working in space, where there's almost no [[gravity::The force that pulls one object towards another. The earth also has gravity - this is why you don't float away into space.]], is different from working on Earth.
In space, it's easier to design things exactly as they want because there's no gravity pushing on the materials. The materials don't move and mix in the same way as on Earth.
After bringing the materials back to Earth, they'll check and test them more before using them for different purposes.
Quick Revision
Varda Space Industries made a drug-making spacecraft called the W-1 capsule.
It created Ritonavir crystals, a medicine for HIV and hepatitis C.
The capsule will land on 21 Feb 2024 in Utah, USA.
Medicines are made in space because microgravity helps them form better.
After returning to Earth, the materials will be checked and tested before being used.
Knowledge checkpoint
