On February 21st, Varda Space Industries, a US-based space exploration company, successfully landed a capsule in the Utah desert. This 3-foot-wide capsule, equipped with a camera, captured incredible footage of its fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The video, shared on social media, showcased the breathtaking blue horizon of our planet, captivating viewers with its stunning visuals.
Varda Space Industries posted the breathtaking video on X, and wrote, "Here's a video of our capsule ripping through the atmosphere," highlighting the authenticity of the footage with the caption "no renders, raw footage."
See the video here:
Varda also posted a longer 5-minute edit from separation to touchdown.
Since being posted, the video has amassed over 1.4 million views on X and several comments from internet users.
A user commented, "This is so beautiful- do y'all mind sharing what kind of camera it was filmed with? Were there any special considerations around operating for so long without convection cooling?"
Another user wrote, "Great camerawork by @andrewmccalip and team.. well insulted, crystal clear."
The third user wrote, "Great cut - the longer video below is even more amazing!"
"That's amazing. Thank you for sharing this," the fourth user wrote on X.
The fifth user wrote, "incredible work."
Varda's successful landing marked a pivotal milestone in testing their technology for manufacturing items in space. The small capsule, weighing under 90 kilograms, constituted part of a larger Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft launched by SpaceX in June 2023. During its mission, the capsule even generated crystals of ritonavir, a drug, within the unique microgravity environment.
Despite encountering delays in obtaining permits, such as a re-entry license from the FAA and approvals from the Air Force, Varda successfully landed the capsule at the Utah Test and Training Range. Currently, the capsule is slated for transport back to Varda's facilities in Los Angeles for analysis, while the ritonavir crystals will undergo further examination by Improved Pharma post-flight.
