Varda launches W-8 and W-9 capsules together on one SpaceX rideshare

Varda Space Industries/W-series capsules

Varda put two reentry capsules, W-8 and W-9, into orbit on the same SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare from Vandenberg on 1 October 2026. The company calls it its first launch of two spacecraft on one rocket, a step toward running a fleet. Both vehicles will be managed together from its El Segundo mission operations center.

• W-8 carries a fiber-optic sensor system from Canopy Aerospace & Defense that tracks heat-shield temperature, heat flux and erosion during reentry.
• W-9 carries a navigation system that records data during hypersonic flight, plus heatshield tiles from Syensqo.
• Both payloads are partly funded by government hypersonic testing programs; the release gives no reentry date for either capsule.