The Australian company Southern Launch and the American startup Varda Space Industries have concluded a long-term agreement, which provides 20 of additional spacecraft returns to the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia to 2028 year.
The new contract builds on the successful W-Series missions, specifically on the historic W-2 mission, which is in February 2025 року стала першим у світі комерційним поверненням космічного апарата на приватний космопорт. Уже через десять тижнів відбулася місія W-3, which confirmed Southern Launch's ability to maintain a high frequency of orbital returns.
Over the coming years, Varda capsules will return to Earth with cargo, which have undergone production or research in microgravity, in particular, samples of new pharmaceutical preparations. After entering the atmosphere at a speed of about Mach 25, the capsules will land using a parachute system at the Koonibba test site, which Southern Launch operates in partnership with the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.
The cooperation between Southern Launch and Varda Space is considered one of the key in the development of the global orbital economy, which combines the technologies of production in orbit and their delivery to Earth. The new contract not only secures a landing site for future Varda missions, and confirms Australia's leadership in commercial launches and returns. By the end of 2028 companies plan to increase the frequency of returns to almost monthly.
The next missions in the series, W-4 and W-5, are due before the end of this year.
В уряді Південної Австралії угоду назвали важливим кроком уперед для розвитку космічної екосистеми штату. Підкреслюється, that South Australia remains one of the few places in the world, which can offer ground returns of vehicles in a safe environment, making the region a strategic hub for commercial space operations.
Source: https://news.satnews.com