Varda Space Industries secures $251 million Series D to develop drug manufacturing in orbit

California startup Varda Space Industries announced it has closed a $251 million Series D financing round.

The capital will be directed toward building and launching manufacturing facilities in low‑Earth orbit, where microgravity can be leveraged for drug production.

Varda aims to tap a long‑sought frontier in pharma by using the space environment to potentially improve drug purity and yield.

The funding underscores growing investor interest in space‑based pharmaceutical manufacturing, though commercial timelines remain uncertain.