Varda's W-3 reentry capsule landed in South Australia on Tuesday night (May 13), delivering a payload and data from an advanced hypersonic navigation systems test for the U.S. Air Force and Innovative Scientific Solutions Incorporated. W-3 launched on a Falcon 9 rocket March 14, as part of SpaceX's Transporter 13 mission.
After 8.5 weeks in orbit, W-3 softly touched down at the Koonibba Test Range operated by Southern Launch on Tuesday at 10:07 p.m. EDT (0207 GMT and 11:37 a.m. local time on May 14). The recovery of Varda's W-3 capsule comes just over two months after the return of W-2, which landed at Koonibba on Feb. 28.
Varda's W-series capsules have relied on Rocket Lab Pioneer satellite buses for their on-orbit communications, power supply and propulsion, and to eject the capsules following deorbit burns at the end of each mission. This latest landing was Varda's second at Koonibba. W-1 touched down in Utah in 2024.
Source: www.space.com
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