In a bold leap toward the future of medicine, U.S.-based space startup Varda Space Industries has announced a successful $187 million funding round to advance its mission of manufacturing pharmaceuticals in space — drugs that cannot be produced on Earth due to gravity-related limitations.
Varda’s revolutionary approach leverages the microgravity environment of low Earth orbit (LEO) to develop purer, more stable, and more effective compounds, especially for complex drugs such as biologics, protein crystals, and advanced cancer therapies.
“We’re building the factories of the future — in orbit,” said Will Bruey, CEO and co-founder of Varda. “Microgravity unlocks chemistry that’s impossible to replicate on Earth, and we’re now scaling that into real-world production.”
- Funding raised: $187 million (Series C round)
- Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and others
- Goal: Develop orbital drug factories and commercialize space-made pharmaceuticals
- Focus areas: Cancer therapies, protein crystallization, regenerative medicine
Varda has already launched multiple test capsules into space in partnership with SpaceX, successfully retrieving experimental materials from orbit. The latest funding will go toward building reusable reentry capsules, enhancing production capacity, and scaling commercial partnerships with global pharma companies.
Experts say this could usher in a new era for biotechnology, where space-based labs enable breakthroughs that Earth-bound facilities cannot match.
“This isn’t science fiction anymore. Space-based drug development could solve some of humanity’s most challenging medical problems,” said Dr. Alicia Tran, biotech analyst at Stanford.
If successful, Varda’s orbital drug labs could revolutionize how medicines are designed, tested, and manufactured — turning outer space into the next pharmaceutical frontier.
