The American company Varda announced the launch of its first space factory. In fact, it is a tiny device only about 70 cm in diameter. It was successfully launched into orbit on June 12 by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Despite its modest size, the spacecraft will operate as a pharmaceutical laboratory for the manufacture of ingredients for drugs in conditions of weightlessness, or rather microgravity, Newatlas.com reported.

In such cases, liquid particles do not form agglomerates, do not rise to the surface and do not sink to the bottom, as on Earth, as a result of which it is possible to obtain substances for drugs in crystalline forms with extremely high accuracy. , scientists’ note. In addition, it will be possible to achieve complete sterility, which is impossible to achieve on the surface of the planet.

The space factory will orbit at an altitude of more than 1,000 km for a little over a month, after which its spin will slow down and be able to return to Earth. On the way back, the device will not only land, but also become a hypersonic test facility for the US Air Force. While descending, the probe will accelerate to hypersonic speeds above Mach 25 (31,000 km/h), then slow the atmospheric velocity, but still remain in the hypersonic range above Mach 5 (6,200 km/h).

During this time, the US Air Force plans to conduct a series of tests. When the spacecraft descends to the cruising altitude of a normal airplane, its speed will reach about 270 km/h and at this point it will open its parachutes and make a soft landing on the Earth’s surface. The company assures that the harsh conditions on the way back will not affect the drugs synthesized on board.

If all goes well this time, Varda will launch a second mission this year. The company expects to receive many commercial and government orders, plans to build reusable space factories, and is also considering the idea of ​​creating a factory that will be in orbit permanently. Raw materials, equipment and service facilities can be delivered to such a station if necessary.