Return of the first space pharma factory to Earth faced restrictions
American regulators rejected Varda's satellite landing request
US authorities rejected the request of the US space startup Varda to land its satellite at the test site. The US Air Force explained this decision by citing safety, risk, and impact analysis. However, Varda Space maintains that their spacecraft is fully operational.
This regulatory setback might be due to the novel nature of the commercial mission. The satellite is expected to make monthly return trips from space to Earth, which is unique and differs from past operations where objects didn’t return to the atmosphere.
To recall, Varda Space deployed the first satellite designed for pharmaceutical development in microgravity conditions, located at an altitude of around 1000 km.
