Varda Space gearing up for second mission, launching from Vandenberg and landing in Australia
Jan 9, 2025
Key Points
- Varda Space Industries launches its second orbital manufacturing mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base with a landing planned for Australia, signaling geographic expansion beyond the continental US.
- The company has hired more staff in the past two weeks than in its first eight months combined, driven by factory capacity constraints that forced equipment relocation offsite.
- Varda's rapid buildout appears to have vindicated early backers like Founders Fund partner Delian Asparouhov against skeptics who questioned timelines when the facility was newly established.
Summary
Varda Space Industries gears up for second mission, launching from Vandenberg and landing in Australia
Varda Space Industries is preparing for its second orbital manufacturing mission, with launch scheduled from Vandenberg Space Force Base and landing planned for Australia. The announcement comes roughly six days before liftoff.
This represents a significant operational progression for the company. Varda's first mission demonstrated the core technology—manufacturing pharmaceuticals and materials in microgravity and returning the capsule to Earth. The second mission signals both technical confidence and geographic expansion of recovery operations beyond the continental US.
Delian Asparouhov, a partner at Founders Fund and early backer of Varda, announced the mission on social media. He notes separately that the company has been on a hiring surge, bringing on more staff in the last two weeks than in the first eight months of operations combined. This hiring acceleration aligns with expanding manufacturing capacity—Asparouhov previously mentioned the factory floor has grown so crowded that related operations have had to relocate equipment offsite to make room.
The company has also faced some skepticism in tech circles. Early detractors questioned timelines and posted mockingly about an empty factory floor when the facility was new. Those critiques appear to have been overtaken by rapid buildout, though the hiring pace and operational readiness remain observable signals of near-term execution.