Varda Space Industries has successfully landed its W-2 reentry capsule in Australia, completing its second mission aimed at advancing hypersonic research for the U.S. military and improving NASA’s thermal protection systems.
W-2 Capsule re-entering earth’s atmosphere. Credit: Varda Space Industries
The California-based company, known for developing spacecraft to manufacture products in space, designed the W-2 capsule to gather critical data on high-speed reentry conditions. After spending six weeks in orbit, the capsule touched down at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, marking a major milestone for both Varda and the region’s expanding role in commercial space operations.
Aboard the capsule was the Optical Sensing of Plasmas in the Reentry Environment (OSPREE) payload, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). This cutting-edge instrument, led by AFRL Principal Investigator Capt. Ashwin Rao, was designed to capture spectral data of plasma interactions during atmospheric reentry.
“The unique aerothermal chemistry of the reentry environment is impossible to simulate or replicate on the ground,” said Muk Pandian, Varda’s director of strategic partnering and advanced concepts. He emphasized that traditional testing methods cannot recreate the extreme conditions required to study sustained plasma formation.
Varda officials highlighted the mission’s groundbreaking achievement: in situ optical emission measurements of the reentry environment at speeds exceeding Mach 15. This real-time data provides crucial insights into how materials and systems perform under extreme hypersonic
conditions, potentially shaping future aerospace technology.
Varda Crew with retrieved W-2 capsule. Credit: Varda Space
The W-2 mission is the first under a multi-year agreement between Varda and AFRL. “By partnering with commercial space entities like Varda, AFRL can provide the government science and technology community expanded access to testing in true hypersonic conditions,” said Erin Vaughan, AFRL’s program lead.
The 120-kilogram capsule was built using a Rocket Lab satellite bus and featured a heat shield developed in collaboration with NASA’s Ames Research Center. It launched on January 14, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Transporter-12 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Reentry capsules like W-2 are designed to complete experiments or collect data in space before being guided back to Earth through controlled atmospheric reentry. These vehicles rely on heat shields to withstand intense temperatures and braking systems such as parachutes for a safe landing.
The successful W-2 landing also made history as the first commercial spacecraft to touch down on Australian soil. The Koonibba Test Range, covering 15,830 square miles, is emerging as a key site for commercial space operations.
Varda previously made history in February 2024, when its W-1 capsule became the first commercial spacecraft to land on U.S. soil, reentering at Utah’s Test and Training Range.
Following its recovery, the W-2 capsule will undergo processing at Southern Launch’s facilities in collaboration with Varda’s payload partners before being shipped to the company’s Los Angeles headquarters for detailed analysis.
The data collected is expected to refine thermal protection systems, sensor designs, and aerodynamics for future hypersonic vehicles, paving the way for advancements in space and defense technologies.
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