W-Series Spacecraft

Overview

Free-flying orbital production satellite with an integrated reentry capsule. It processes materials in microgravity independently of any space station, then returns the finished product to Earth under parachute.

Six missions launched since 2023 and five capsules recovered; W-4, the first in-house-built bus, was closed out with a disposal burn on May 10, 2026 after nearly a year evaluating a propellant-feed problem rather than being recovered. The spacecraft bus has been designed and built entirely in-house at El Segundo since W-4, and W-5's January 2026 return was the first complete mission lifecycle flown on Varda hardware end to end.

Key Specs

Missions Flown

6 launched, 5 recovered (W-4 disposed of without recovery)

Reentry Speed

Over 18,000 mph, more than Mach 25

Recovery

Parachute landing at Koonibba Test Range, South Australia

Manufacturing

Full spacecraft built in-house in El Segundo since W-4