Moonshot #25

Varda raises $90 million, drama between Virgin Galactic and Boeing continues, and all the other commercial space news to scroll through while you wait on that solar eclipse.

Varda has secured funding after its “space pharmacy” capsule landed in the Utah desert this February. Credit: John Kraus/Varda Space Industries.

Varda – It looks like the half-a-year wait for a reentry license was worth it for Varda Space Industries, who just raised $90 million to scale up production on their space-based pharmacy capsule, which produces pharmaceuticals in microgravity. The new funding round follows a successful first demonstration – resulting in the production of ritonavir crystals, a drug used to treat HIV/AIDS – and puts the company at a total of $145 million raised to date. Varda plans to make their second launch this summer, and eventually ramp up to a monthly cadence. 

Blue Origin – On April 4th, Bezos’ Blue Origin announced a crew for its NS-25 mission – the first crewed New Shepard flight since 2022.  Most notably, the six-person crew will include former U.S. Air Force pilot Ed Dwight, a man who made history as the first Black astronaut candidate back in 1961. Dwight never made it to the final frontier back then, and “his ascension above the Karman Line is long overdue,” as per Space for Humanity, the organization sponsoring his seat on the New Shepard. Dwight will be joined by Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller and Gopi Thotakura. We’re standing by for a launch date.

SKY Perfect JSAT – Japan’s flagship satellite operator wants to get in on the ground floor of emerging space technologies, recently announcing a commitment to invest $66 million in space startups over the next six years. For the last three decades, Sky Perfect JSAT has provided regional broadband and TV to Japan, and has amassed a 17-satellite geostationary fleet. After proving itself in tried and true GEO connectivity, the company began expanding into space-based intelligence services, space junk removal and more. So enthused by new tech is the operator that they’ve also found a way to get in before the ground floor, working with a nonprofit accelerator that helps space startups find their footing. 

Space Epoch – The immediate gratification machine that is Amazon is unmatched. 18 bouncy houses delivered today? No problem. It’s incredible. It’s more than enough. Some might say it’s too much. For Space Epoch, though, there’s still room for online retail delivery to transcend Amazon’s already wild standard. The Chinese company has joined forces with Taobao – a shopping platform associated with eCommerce giant Alibaba – to develop a reusable delivery rocket that could theoretically deliver products around the world in as little as an hour. Some thought the collaboration – which was announced on April Fool’s Day – was a joke, but Tabao later confirmed its validity, citing “many great endeavors seem like a joke at first.” Though Space Epoch’s Yuanxing-1 rocket went through promising recovery testing last year, there is a long way to go in terms of infrastructure and rocket performance to pull off repetitive global deliveries. It’s unlikely we’ll see this service flourish in the next decade – if at all – but if we do, we’d hate to see the price on that express shipping option. 

The VMS Eve, Virgin Galactic’s dated Mothership is still awaiting a replacement – and it won’t be from Boeing. Credit: Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic – Things have been spicy between Virgin Galactic and Boeing since Boeing sued the Branson-led company back in March over reportedly $25 million in unpaid invoices. These invoices were related to an aircraft that Boeing was working on in 2022 and 2023 for Virgin Galactic, to eventually replace the VMS Eve as the carrier aircraft and launch platform for their suborbital spaceplanes. But this is not where our story ends. The spice level was elevated (to ghost pepper) this past Thursday, when Virgin Galactic countersued. Citing missing deliverables and poor quality, Virgin Galactic alleged that Boeing's early work on the project was "shoddy and incomplete." Of course, we don’t have all the facts yet, but we’re not jumping at the chance to stand behind Boeing, given their reputation. Virgin Galactic says it themselves, that their experience with this contract was “consistent with Boeing’s record of poor quality control and mismanagement.” Burn. Virgin Galactic is also prepared to defend the other claim from Boeing’s initial suit accusing the company of stealing trade secrets, which the countersuit defends were covered within Virgin Galactic’s existing IP or the agreement.