Varda Space finally gets approval to return its first mission from space

This week Varda Space received the nations first ever Part 450 reentry license from the FAA, green lighting its W-1 mission for touchdown in the Utah desert. After eight months in space the Varda Space built capsule and Rocket Lab built spacecraft bus will finally get its chance to return its crystal experiment to Earth.

Varda Space plans to return first mission this week

On Wednesday, Varda Space announced via social media that the company received approval from the FAA for its Part 450 reentry operator license. This is a new streamlined process the FAA is offering for companies wishing to reenter spacecrafts from orbit.

While companies like SpaceX and Boeing have gotten their approvals through a more traditional route and with the help of NASA, this Part 450 process is brand new and contained solely with in the FAA’s Office of Space Transportation.

“This is the first time in our nation’s history that the FAA has granted a Part 450 reentry license, and licensed a commercial entity to land a spacecraft on U.S. soil,” the company said in a statement. Varda had been working with both the FAA and US Air Force through this new process, the reason given for the long delay.

Varda Space’s first Winnebago spacecraft launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-8 mission last June. The company was hoping to return its W-1 spacecraft out in the Utah Test and Training Range and nearby Dugway Proving Ground in July but the new process slowed things down.

The Part 450 license grants Varda Space a single reentry for now, which the company hopes to use this week. Varda plans to begin the reentry process today with a few burns to position its orbit optimally for deorbit on Thursday.

Similar to SpaceX’s Starship launches, the license can be updated with either more or indefinite attempts based on this first landing’s outcome.

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The first ever of its kind license

Part 450 is the FAA’s new-ish, process for licensing space launch and reentry operators. Similar to drone pilots needing a Part 107 or private pilots needing Part 61 or 141, Part 450 is for those wishing to launch rockets with specific thrust levels, altitude requirements, or doing so for hire.

There’s already a good list of companies that have gained Part 450 launch licenses but Varda was the first to gain the license for reentry. The company almost received the license last September, however communication between several entities in a new process lead to longer than anticipated sign offs.

Since then Varda has also gotten permission to reenter and land its spacecrafts in Australia, at the Koonibba Test Range through spaceport operator Southern Launch. With these two approvals, Varda hopes to be able to support more missions with various landing sites depending on the customer.

Part 450 is one of the many examples of the changing landscape of the US space market with it expanding to be far more than just space launch. Varda for example, hopes to bring in-space manufacturing to the masses with cheap and reliable access to space and return of what is created up there.

Stay tune for more updates to come on Varda’s conclusion to the W-1 mission this week.