"Space Factory Produces Drugs in Orbit"

Varda Space Industries has launched the first space factory that aims to manufacture pharmaceutical products in microgravity and bring them back to Earth using a capsule return craft. The recently launched W-Series 1 Satellite will test the production of medical products during its space journey, starting with ritonavir, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of HIV infection. Varda collaborates with Rocket Lab to create four spacecraft called Photon, which will provide power, data, and control for Varda's manufacturing and re-entry modules. The startup plans to expand to biologics in the future and revolutionize the production process by using spacecraft as a manufacturing platform in microgravity.