A space capsule controlled halfway around the world has made a successful landing in Australia's outback returning with invaluable data for US space research.
California-based Varda Space Industries announced their W-8 Capsule landed near Ceduna in South Australia at 12.05am local time on Friday after spending 35 days in orbit.
It's the seventh successful re-entry into the 23,000 sq km Koonibba Test Range operated by Australian aerospace company Southern Launch since 2024 and marks the nation's busiest re-entry period.
South Australian Minister for Defence and Space Industries Chris Picton said the test range reinforced the state's position as a "world-class destination for space innovation.”
"The successful return of Varda’s W-8 capsule is another important milestone for South Australia’s growing space sector and further demonstrates our state’s leadership in orbital re-entry operations," he said.
Appearing no larger than a washing machine, the capsule was one of three launched on October 1 on the SpaceX Transporter 18 mission, marking a world first for the orbital re-entry industry.
"Operating three vehicles at once while also bringing one home safely is what high-cadence operations look like in practice," said Steve Layne, chief revenue officer at Varda Space Industries.
The capsules are managed by a team in El Segundo, California for the purpose of testing thermal materials and manufacturing pharmaceutical products using the advantages of the space environment.
Orbital manufacturing allows pharmaceutical companies to develop miniature laboratories in space creating purer forms and more uniform products without the hindrance of gravity.
The W-8 Capsule reached speeds up to 25 times the speed of sound carrying payloads by US company Canopy Aerospace & Defense to test the condition of a spacecraft's heat shield during re-entry.
On its outer layers, the capsule hosted thermal protection materials funded through what's called the Prometheus program - a collaboration between Varda Space Industries and the US Air Force.
The re-entry test range that encompasses part of the Nullarbor is one of two spaceports operated by Southern Launch.
The launch site in Whalers Way on the Eyre Peninsula is currently in the approvals process and was recently grounded by a native vegetation ruling.
The Koonibba Test Range is the world's busiest re-entry spaceport with another 20 capsules expected to land before 2029.
Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said managing three spacecrafts, that are all due to return by the end of the year, was a complex operation.
"It takes an incredibly capable team to co-ordinate each mission safely and make sure everything comes together when it needs to," he said.
