"Varda Space's Orbital Drug Manufacturing Success Drives $90M Funding Boost"

Varda Space Industries secures $90 million in Series B funding following the successful return of its first drug manufacturing capsule from orbit, marking a significant milestone for the company. The startup, founded by Delian Asparouhov and Will Bruey, aims to commercialize microgravity research for pharmaceutical crystallization, leveraging low-cost rideshare launches and innovations in satellite bus manufacturing. With a focus on pharmaceuticals, Varda plans to scale its missions, drive down mission costs, and improve processing capabilities for on-board pharmaceutical reactors, with a handful of contracts already in place and the next manufacturing mission set to launch later this year.