The co-founder of California-based startup Varda Space Industries says his company’s first space mission—a miniature lab that has grown crystals of the drug ritonavir in orbit—is on track to end in the coming weeks with a first-of-its-kind re-entry and landing in Utah.

Varda’s spacecraft launched June 12 as part of a rideshare mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, then completed several weeks of checkouts before starting a 27-hour drug-manufacturing experiment last week. When ground controllers gave the go-ahead, the mini-lab began growing crystals of ritonavir, a drug commonly used to treat HIV.

The experiment’s 27-hour run was completed on June 30, and data downlinked from the spacecraft showed everything went well.

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[–] Sivar 4 points 1 year ago

Im not sure there will ever be a market for that unless there are compounds that don’t easily form with gravity, like some kind of crystal formations for example.

But the vast majority of production will be on the surface of whatever astronomical body IMO.

I could imagine some kind of delivery service though for urgent deliveries to the moon or back, that just require a simple reentry vehicle with good aim.