The W-1 mission
Varda Space Industries launched its W-1 platform in June 2023. A Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft supported the flight, while crystals of the antiviral drug ritonavir grew inside the capsule. On 21 February 2024 the capsule returned to Utah. Describing the payload as crystals is more precise than calling it assembled tablets.
Why study crystals?
In microgravity, processes such as sedimentation and convection change. Crystal-growth experiments can help researchers investigate the structure and properties of substances useful in medicine. Orbital conditions do not automatically guarantee better crystals or more effective medicines: each result needs to be tested.
From experiments to applications
Protein crystal growth experiments have also been conducted aboard the International Space Station. NASA reports that research with Merck provided insights that helped develop an injectable formulation of pembrolizumab, later manufactured on Earth. W-1 was a separate mission from the ISS; moving from research to a medicine requires testing and regulatory approval.