Varda's satellite is currently operating in orbit after a successful launch on June 12th aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket
Developing new tools and advancing pharmaceutical development is a key part of Improved Pharma's mission On board the rocket launch for the Transporter-8 Mission sat Varda's satellite "W-Series 1". Within the capsule sits the drug ritonavir, created by scientists at Improved Pharma and housed in engineering designed and built by Varda to conduct controlled experiments in microgravity. A little over an hour after launch, the satellite was deployed and acquisition of signal followed shortly. While in orbit, the drug will undergo melt/cool experiments to grow new crystals. In about a month, the capsule will return to earth, landing at a US Air Force range in Utah. After a successful recovery, the material will be analyzed to learn how ritonavir crystals grown in space differ from those grown on earth. Why manufacture pharmaceuticals in space? By eliminating factors such as convection and sedimentation that influence crystallization in gravity, a molecule has the freedom to crystallize in different ways. These differences can lead to significant advantages such as controlled particle size, growth of crystals that can't be grown on earth, or the invention of…