Varda Space Industries, the company using a Rocket Lab designed and built Photon-based spacecraft to launch space manufacturing operations, just dropped a significant update on Twitter:

Over the last day, for the first time ever, orbital drug processing happened outside of a government-run space station

Our crystallization of Ritonavir appears to have been nominal

This is our first step in commercializing microgravity and building an industrial park in LEO

Re-entry and a successful recovery remains but these are extremely promising results for the first attempt. This capability, if fully realized, is a very big deal both in business terms and in the impact that it could have on people’s lives:

In 2021, Improved Pharma had the unique opportunity to start polymorph screening research projects in close collaboration with Varda Space Industries with the intent of advancing pharmaceutical manufacturing. Their first joint research project was published in 2022 and announced the discovery of a new form of ritonavir. This research was recognized by Organic Process Research & Development as one of the top “remarkable accomplishments from the scientific literature that are expected to be relevant and important with future practical applications.” The research collaboration between Improved Pharma and Varda Space Industries will continue into future missions.