Two Earth Return Missions in Two Months: Rocket Lab Demonstrates Rapid Re-entry Capability with Third Pioneer Spacecraft for Varda Space Industries
Rocket Lab's Pioneer spacecraft successfully supported the return of Varda’s W-3 capsule to Earth, landing at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, operated by Southern Launch. Credit: Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today announced its record turnaround of two Earth return missions in two months with its latest successful mission and Pioneer spacecraft for Varda Space Industries (“Varda”), a leading orbital pharmaceuticals and hypersonic re-entry logistics company. Rocket Lab successfully supported the return to Earth of Varda’s W-3 capsule at 02:07 a.m. UTC on May 14, the third overall successful operation in the W-series of Varda missions.
For the second time this year, Rocket Lab’s highly configurable, medium delta-V spacecraft platform, Pioneer, delivered Varda’s hypersonic re-entry capsule back to Earth. To date, Rocket Lab has successfully built, tested, integrated, and managed on-orbit and de-orbit operations for three of the four contracted missions for Varda.
Rocket Lab’s first mission for Varda, W-1, was the world’s first space manufacturing mission conducted outside of the International Space Station. W-1 completed on-orbit operations in February 2024, positioning their re-entry capsule for landing at the Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City, Utah. The Company’s second Pioneer spacecraft successfully entered Varda’s W-2 capsule a year later, landing at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, operated by Southern Launch. The third Pioneer spacecraft for Varda’s W-3 mission launched just 15 days after successful re-entry and landing of the W-2 mission on March 14.
Each Pioneer spacecraft for Varda’s W-series missions delivered critical mission functions for Varda’s 120kg capsule including power, communications, propulsion, and attitude control. The Pioneer spacecraft was designed, built, and tested at Rocket Lab’s Spacecraft Production Complex and headquarters in Long Beach, California. Rocket Lab’s Pioneer spacecraft platform uses the Company’s vertically integrated components and systems, including star trackers, propulsion systems, reaction wheels, solar panels, flight software, radios, composite structures, tanks, separation systems, and more.
“Managing three successful missions for Varda in just over a year is a testament to our team’s ability to produce tailored spacecraft for our customer’s specific needs quickly and efficiently,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck. “Our Pioneer spacecraft consistently proves its rapid re-entry capability, versatility, and reliability, delivering critical mission functions that continually push the boundaries of space technology. Varda’s missions showcase Rocket Lab's commitment to groundbreaking advancements in space manufacturing and re-entry logistics, and we’re immensely proud to be a part of these achievements.”
“Varda’s third successful reentry represents a new era in the commercialization of low Earth orbit,” said Dave McFarland, Varda’s Vice President of Hypersonic and Reentry Test. “The rapid succession of our missions demonstrates that this is a capability both Varda, and our partners can consistently rely on.”
The fourth spacecraft in Varda’s W-series is currently undergoing integration and testing at Rocket Lab’s Spacecraft Production Complex and headquarters in Long Beach, California.