--- title: "US Government Won’t Let Space Drugs Factory Come Back to Earth" description: "Sorry everyone, but the government says Varda Space's orbital pharmaceuticals can't come back to Earth just yet." date: "2023-09-20" modified: "2023-09-20" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/us-government-space-drugs-factory-earth" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "drug development" - "health" - "pharmaceuticals" - "space" --- # US Government Won’t Let Space Drugs Factory Come Back to Earth ![Sorry everyone, but the government says Varda Space's orbital pharmaceuticals can't come back to Earth just yet.]() *This is the center of the Heart Nebula or IC-1805 in the center is a cluster of stars known as Melotte 15. It is located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. Taken in Almería. Andalusia. South of Spain. \Image: Getty Images\* Sorry everyone, but the Space Drug Factory can't come back to Earth just yet. As [reported last week by *TechCrunch*](), Varda Space — the [0ff-Earth drug manufacturer]() currently working to develop pharmaceuticals in a low-orbit space factory — has postponed its spacecraft's atmosphere-reentry plans, saying that neither the US Air Force (USAF) nor the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have cleared its orbital production facility for a return back to Earth. "Sept 5 and 7 were their primary targets," a spokesperson for the USAF told *TechCrunch* in an email. Apparently, Varda had asked if it could land its module on a USAF training area in Utah, and the military branch said no. "The request to use the Utah Test and Training Range for the landing location was not granted at this time due to the overall safety, risk and impact analysis," the USAF spokesperson continued, noting that the FAA's hesitance to grant a reentry license is part of a "separate process." A spokesperson for the FAA, meanwhile, told *TechCrunch* that Varda's reentry application was rejected on September 6 due to a failure to "demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements." "On September 8, Varda formally requested that the FAA reconsider its decision," the FAA spokesperson added. "The request for reconsideration is pending." Varda has yet to issue an official statement, but [took to X-formerly-Twitter]() on Sept 15 to assure the masses that its "spacecraft is healthy across all systems." "It was originally designed for a full year on orbit if needed," the post continued. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate w/ our gov partners to bring our capsule back to Earth as soon as possible." The pharmaceutical manufacturer's spacecraft has been off-planet for a few months now, having launched back in June on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The goal, Varda says, is to utilize microgravity's effect on various atoms and molecules as a means to manufacture drugs — known and unknown — differently than we might on Earth. According to Varda, the mission has thus far been a success, with the company claiming that its spacecraft-faring robots (did we mention that robots are doing the drug manufacturing?) had succeeded in growing crystals of the HIV drug ritonavir. "SPACE DRUGS HAVE FINISHED COOKING BABY!!" Delian Asparouhov, one of the venture's co-founders, wrote in a [June 30 X post]() celebrating Varda's purported triumph. As it stands, it's unclear how, exactly, Varda has failed to comply with USAF and FAA standards, aside from the fact that getting a trunk of space-cooked pharmaceuticals back into Earth's atmosphere is wholly uncharted territory. Regardless, cooked or uncooked, it appears that said space drugs are staying put for the time being. **More on Varda:** [*Startup Wants to Use Robots to Make Drugs in Space*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()