# Source: Varda W-1 Capsule Landing at UTTR

**Type:** source
**Status:** Useful
**Confidence:** High
**Source Type:** News Article
**URL:** https://spacenews.com/varda-capsule-lands-in-utah/
**Publisher:** SpaceNews (corroborated by TechCrunch)
**Accessed:** 2026-06-18
**Updated:** 2026-06-18

## Summary

SpaceNews and TechCrunch coverage of the February 21, 2024 landing of Varda Space Industries' W-Series 1 (Winnebago-1) capsule at the Utah Test and Training Range — reported as the first time a commercial company landed a spacecraft on U.S. soil.

## Useful Claims

- Varda's W-1 capsule landed at UTTR, west of Salt Lake City, on February 21, 2024, at 4:40 p.m. EST.
- The capsule (~90 cm diameter, under 90 kg) flew as part of a Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft launched June 2023 on SpaceX's Transporter-8 rideshare; it carried crystals of the antiviral drug ritonavir grown in microgravity.
- The landing was delayed for months while Varda secured an FAA commercial reentry license (granted February 14, 2024) and U.S. Air Force approval to land at UTTR, which the Air Force operates.
- The landing ellipse spanned the southern part of UTTR and neighboring Dugway Proving Ground.
- Later reporting (TechCrunch, July 2025; robotics.press) indicates Varda is El Segundo, CA-based, founded 2020, has flown three successful missions since 2023, raised $329M+ total including a $187M Series C (July 2025), holds a U.S. Air Force contract, and shifted subsequent landings to Australia's Koonibba Test Range (W-5 landed there January 2026).

## Reliability Notes

The landing itself is well-documented primary news (high confidence). Funding totals and mission counts are from secondary tech coverage and a third-party company profile; treat as medium-confidence and date-sensitive. Varda is not a Utah company — the Utah relevance is the UTTR/Dugway reentry infrastructure, and that connection appears to be diminishing as Varda moves landings to Australia.

## Related Pages

- [Varda Space Industries](varda-space.md)
- [Utah Test and Training Range](utah-test-and-training-range.md)