Could this be the moment that drug manufacturing takes off in orbit?

Varda Space Industries and United Therapeutics announced a collaboration to conduct pharmaceutical processing of small molecule medicines in orbit, combining Varda's orbital manufacturing platform with United Therapeutics' drug development expertise. Microgravity allows pharmaceutical molecules to assemble into highly ordered crystal structures that are difficult or impossible to create on Earth, potentially improving drug bioavailability and performance. Varda has completed three successful orbital missions with a fourth in progress and plans to use the funding to increase flight cadence and deliver the first microgravity-enabled drug formulation to market.

Source: Ars Technica | 2026-05-13