Varda’s W-2 mission includes a Rocket Lab Pioneer spacecraft and a Varda a re-entry capsule carrying a spectrometer from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The capsule employs a heatshield with a Thermal Protection System (TPS) developed in collaboration with NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

These payloads are in addition to Varda’s expanded pharmaceutical reactor which will expand capability and capacity for pharmaceutical processing. The W-2 mission follows on from Rocket Lab’s first mission for Varda, which operated on-orbit for eight months before returning to Earth in early 2024 in a successful demonstration of the world’s first orbital manufacturing mission conducted outside of the International Space Station.

Like the first Pioneer spacecraft for Varda, the W-2 Pioneer is delivering critical mission functions for Varda’s 120 kg capsule including power, communications, propulsion, and attitude control.

Following the payload processing phase on-orbit, Rocket Lab’s spacecraft will guide and position Varda’s capsule for deorbit, enabling a hypersonic re-entry and recovery at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, operated by Southern Launch.

The Pioneer spacecraft was designed, built, and tested at Rocket Lab’s Spacecraft Production Complex and headquarters in Long Beach, California. It integrates Rocket Lab’s vertically developed components and systems, including star trackers, propulsion systems, reaction wheels, solar panels, flight software, radios, composite structures, tanks, separation systems, and more.

The W-2 mission is the second of four spacecraft ordered by Varda to support orbital processing, with the third spacecraft complete and awaiting shipment for launch.

“Another Rocket Lab spacecraft is in orbit, performing well, and supporting innovative new space capabilities for our mission partners Varda Space Industries,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck. “We’ve built a deep expertise in guidance, navigation, and control, allowing us to precisely manage spacecraft operations in some of the most demanding environments, ensuring that our customers, like Varda, can rely on us to safely and accurately deliver their mission goals, from on orbit operations to capsule re-entry.”

“Varda and its partners are building a foundation layer for the orbital economy. The W-2 mission is in service of this goal,” said Varda CEO and co-founder, Will Bruey. “We are looking forward to many more successful missions, and a world where products made in orbit are seen as common place.

Pelican-2 joins Pelican-1 (a smallsat platform tech demonstration launched last year ) as part of Planet’s next-generation, high-resolution fleet, to support and expand its existing SkySat capabilities. Planet plans to launch additional Pelicans this year.

Pelican-2 is designed to provide up to 40 cm class resolution imagery across 6 multispectral bands optimized for cross-sensor analysis. Planet has collaborated with NVIDIA to equip Pelican-2 with the NVIDIA Jetson platform to power on-orbit computing—with the aim of vastly reducing the time between data capture and value for customers.

Varda Space Industries are pioneers in developing orbital manufacturing capsules and have selected Southern Launch for their next three W-Series missions. The natural advantages of the space environment, in particular microgravity, enables the production of improved pharmaceutical formulations that cannot be produced anywhere on Earth.

The W-2 capsule carries payloads from Varda partners, including a spectrometer from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and employs a heat shield with a Thermal Protection System (TPS) developed in collaboration with NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. These payloads are in addition to Varda’s expanded pharmaceutical reactor. Southern Launch operates the Koonibba Test Range in partnership with the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.

The Koonibba Test Range offers the greatest return flexibility given the low airspace and uninhabited land. Until the first Varda mission in 2023, all in-space manufacturing was carried out on the International Space Station. The W-Series missions will usher in a new era of commercial in-space manufacturing.

The return authorization for the mission was granted by the Australian Government in October 2024 and was the first authorization approved for a domestically returning spacecraft under the amended Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018.

Lloyd Damp, CEO, Southern Launch, said, “The successful launch of the W-2 capsule is only the beginning of this incredibly exciting mission. Our team is now focused on the safe return and recovery of the capsule to the Koonibba Test Range.’ ‘By the end of this decade, it is predicted that we will all be using items that contain some element that is produced off Earth we are incredibly proud to bring this industry to South Australia.’ ‘In-space manufacturing is the next evolution of our industry capacity as humans. We are so proud to bring this mission to Australia and this first mission signals a new wave of excitement as to what is possible both here on Earth and in space.“

Will Bruey, CEO, Varda Space Industries, said, “Varda is honored to perform Australia’s first commercial space re-entry, and we’re excited to partner with our friends at Southern Launch to support the development of a thriving Australian space sector. Australia is clear-eyed about the promise of orbital pharmaceutical processing, and Southern Launch have led the way for the future of space infrastructure on Earth.”

Corey McLennan, CEO, Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation, said, “The Koonibba Test Range offers more than 41,000 square kilometres of uninhabited land to accept the re-entry of in-space manufacturing capsules,’ says Corey. ‘This open space is essential to accept spacecraft returns and for low-earth orbit to be the genesis of a new era of advanced manufacturing in Australia.”

As one of the world’s first commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites, SCOT is engineered to track Resident Space Objects (RSOs) with unmatched frequency and precision. In an era where space is becoming increasingly crowded and competitive, SCOT is purpose-built to monitor smaller RSOs, deliver higher revisit rates, and provide enhanced tracking accuracy—filling a crucial gap left by current systems.

SCOT will be deployed in SSO, enabling it to track objects in LEO with greater efficiency than existing sensors, which are constrained by weather conditions, geographic limitations, and restricted fields of view (FoV). Unlike these traditional systems, SCOT offers persistent monitoring of Resident Space Objects (RSOs), detecting and tracking objects as small as 5 cm. This capability significantly minimizes data gaps and enhances the precision of space surveillance. The satellite forms a key part of Digantara’s mission to establish a hybrid network of surveillance systems, delivering persistent monitoring of the near-Earth environment to ensure improved safety and the long-term sustainability of space operations.

The launch of SCOT comes at a pivotal time when space is increasingly recognized as a critical component of national security, having sovereign capabilities is more essential than ever. As space operations become more complex—exemplified by missions such as ISRO‘s ongoing SpaDeX mission, actively tracked by Digantara—a comprehensive and continuous understanding of the space environment is crucial. This ensures safer spacecraft operations while providing a strategic advantage in an increasingly contested domain.

“Satellites serve as the backbone of the global economy, and any disruptions to their operations can trigger cascading impacts on Earth, affecting both economic stability and strategic security,” said Anirudh Sharma, CEO of Digantara. “With SCOT, we are taking a crucial step in achieving surveillance superiority, ensuring not only a safer and more sustainable space environment but also towards safeguarding sovereign assets in the face of an increasingly contested space domain.”

The GDM has supported Space Systems Command’s TacSRT pilot program and is designed to rapidly provide U.S. military combatant commands with access to insights for critical areas of interest worldwide.

The competitive, short duration TacSRT contracts team up multiple commercial data providers to cover specific requests for real-time operational planning products offering insight into global trends and events from violent extremism to humanitarian and disaster response as well as identification of potential threats.

“One year in operation, this novel marketplace increases speed and accessibility to BlackSky’s reliable high-cadence, low-latency dynamic monitoring capabilities,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “BlackSky’s momentum with these quick-turn contracts represents a significant structural demand signal from a key customer for operationally relevant space-based products. BlackSky has demonstrated repeated success in delivering tailored products featuring our automated AI-driven analytics to meet a diverse set of complex, time-sensitive civil and military tactical SRT missions around the world,” said O’Toole. “The fast-paced, short period of performance aligns with our strengths: rapidly delivering actionable insights from our core product offerings that require minimal integration, lowering customer acquisition costs and accelerating development of new technology.”

This reseller agreement integrates SpaceX’s Starlink LEO technology with SageNet’s comprehensive managed network services portfolio, which includes terrestrial, cellular and satellite solutions. As an authorized Starlink reseller, SageNet will provide complete turnkey satellite services—from installation and management to monitoring and maintenance—enabling enterprise and certain government clients to access secure, cost-effective and reliable high-speed connectivity.

The agreement offers several key advantages:

• Enterprise and high-performance packages with fixed and mobility plans
• Seamless integration with SageNet’s managed services model
• Professional services and consolidated billing
• Advanced API integrations for enhanced control and monitoring

SageNet is integrating Starlink’s capabilities into its proprietary SageVision platform, providing customers with unprecedented visibility into network performance, including real-time latency monitoring, site status and configuration management.

The company projects installation or support of more than 2,000 LEO satellite Earth station sites in the coming year, serving diverse clients from major retailers and pipeline companies to convenience store chains and government agencies. SageNet’s multi-orbit SD-WAN solutions offer rapid deployment capabilities and seamlessly fill gaps in terrestrial service coverage, providing a comprehensive connectivity solution for modern enterprises.

“After four decades of satellite service excellence, we’re thrilled to enhance our offerings with Starlink’s industry-leading LEO technology,” said John Brader, SageNet’s Executive Vice President of Satellite Services. “In this landmark year for non-geostationary satellite orbit services, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver multi-orbit, software-defined wide area network solutions nationwide. While SpaceX’s Starlink excels in rural connectivity, its applications extend far beyond remote locations. We’re seeing significant demand in urban and suburban areas where traditional broadband installation is cost-prohibitive or time-intensive.”

After 12 years at the helm of the Company, Platzer’s tenure as CEO was marked with several milestones that he set out to achieve before transitioning into the Executive Chairman role, including rapidly scaling the Company from $10 million to more than $100 million in revenue and taking it public. He also oversaw the Company’s recent agreement to sell its maritime business for approximately $241 million, which Spire intends to use to retire all outstanding debt and invest in near-term growth opportunities.

As Executive Chairman, Platzer will guide Spire’s vision and lead the Board of Directors, as well as focus on securing major opportunities to drive the Company’s growth strategy. He will remain involved in select investor engagements and speak at events about the burgeoning commercial space opportunity.

Condor, who was part of the Company’s founding team, has led the expansion of Spire’s solution offerings and business lines, growing the Company’s customer base to more than 745 customers across 65 countries. As CEO, she intends to lead Spire into its next phase of growth with a focus on streamlining operations and strong execution at scale.

“Peter has an incredible vision for how satellite technology and space can improve our lives here on Earth, and that vision has guided the growth of Spire since the company was founded,” said Will Porteous, Spire Board Member. “Theresa has been instrumental in turning that vision into reality. She has a deep understanding of Spire’s customers, the business, and its operations that will be transformational for the company as it enters this next phase of growth as an increasingly profitable company.”

The Company has also appointed two aerospace industry veterans to join its executive bench. Celia Pelaz, a former Airbus executive, will serve as Chief Operating Officer, assuming responsibility for the Company’s revenue and operations. And Gabriel Oehme will serve as Chief Transformation Officer following spent 22 years at Airbus in roles including operations, business development, procurement and sales. Pelaz and Oehme assumed their positions on January 6, 2025.

“Celia and Gabriel bring invaluable institutional knowledge of the aerospace industry and a wealth of expertise in operations, having effectively managed businesses centered on manufacturing and engineering,” said Condor. “With our recent agreement to sell our maritime business, we are at a transformational point as we seek to become a debt-free company with proven space infrastructure and technology. We are in a strong position to capitalize on significant near-term opportunities that generate long-term value. Celia and Gabriel’s experience will be integral in helping us seize these opportunities through focused execution and operational excellence at scale.”

Leo Basola has informed the Company that he will step down from his role as Chief Financial Officer once the Company completes its previously disclosed review of certain accounting practices and the related restatement of prior period financial statements. Thomas Krywe, Spire’s former CFO, will assume an interim role while the Company searches for Basola’s replacement. Krywe has worked as a consultant for the Company since August 2024 and was instrumental in signing the agreement to sell Spire’s maritime business.