Varda W-5 Returns — First In-House Satellite Bus, Navy Payload, Varda-Made C-PICA Heatshield

Varda's W-5 capsule reentered on January 29, 2026 at Koonibba Test Range, South Australia. First full mission on Varda's own satellite bus (previous missions used Rocket Lab Photon). First use of Varda-made C-PICA heatshield (NASA-licensed technology, Tipping Point award funded). Payload was US Navy. CTO Nick Cialdella: "By owning the spacecraft, the capsule, and the mission operations end-to-end, we can iterate faster, fly more often."