Varda Space Industries, a startup that wants to build in-space manufacturing facilities, will be sending its first spacecraft to orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2023.
The actual spacecraft — the startup’s first to go to orbit — will be made by SpaceX’s rival launch company, Rocket Lab, which will also make two subsequent space vehicles for Varda. The three vehicles will be outfitted with two Varda-made modules: a microgravity manufacturing module and a reentry capsule.
The aim is for each spacecraft to spend approximately three months in orbit, with the reentry module bringing back around 40-60 kilograms of manufactured …
