The first space pharmaceutical factory was put into orbit
The American company Varda intends to establish a pharmaceutical plant in orbit, where medicines will be produced in microgravity. The fact is that protein crystals grown in space can form more perfect structures compared to terrestrial ones, which will improve their assimilation and prolong the shelf life.
The pharmaceutical plant, already delivered to orbit by a SpaceX rocket, has a diameter of only about 70 cm and a weight of 90 kg. According to Varda's plans, it will rotate for more than a month at an altitude of 1,000 kilometers, after which the satellite will push the capsule back to Earth. When it returns, it will travel at speeds over 31,000 km/h, and here Varda has also found a commercial approach, offering various US government hypersonic research and development programs to conduct some critical tests. That is, an enterprising firm will earn not only on advanced experiments on medicines, but also on a regular fall.
Despite its small size, the device will work as a pharmaceutical laboratory for the production of components for medicines in zero gravity conditions — in such conditions, particles in the liquid do not form lumps, do not rise to the surface and do not sink to the bottom, as it happens on Earth. As a result, it is possible to obtain substances for medicines in crystalline forms with extremely high accuracy, and in addition, such conditions ensure absolute sterility, which was extremely difficult to achieve on the surface of the planet.
First of all, Varda will conduct commercial tests of an HIV drug called Ritonavir, heating and cooling it to check for differences in the crystal structure when grown in space.
If everything works out, Varda will launch a second mission at the end of this year. The company expects to receive a lot of commercial and government orders, it plans to launch reusable space factories and is considering the idea of creating a factory that will be permanently in orbit. Raw materials, equipment and maintenance facilities can be delivered to such a station as needed.
ORIENT news
