Varda flies navigation payload, heat shield tests on sixth reentry mission

WASHINGTON — Varda Space Industries on March 30 launched its sixth reentry capsule carrying U. S. Government-funded experiments designed to operate under the extreme conditions of hypersonic flight.

Based in El Segundo, California, Varda operates a line of spacecraft intended to manufacture materials in microgravity and return them to Earth. Its W-Series capsules orbit for weeks or months before reentering the atmosphere at speeds exceeding Mach 25, exposing onboard hardware to temperatures and stresses comparable to those experienced by advanced missile systems.

The system is designed to determine the vehicle's position during reentry, when a plasma sheath forms around the spacecraft and blocks GPS signals and radio communications. The blackout period has long been a challenge for vehicles returning from space.