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

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/varda-launches-w-8-and-w-9-capsules-together-on-one-spacex-rideshare-b474586f
Date: 1 Oct 2026
About: [Varda Space Industries](https://technooptimist.io/companies/varda-space-industries.md) · [W-series capsules](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/w-series.md)
Original source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/varda-space-industries-launches-two-vehicles-to-orbit-at-the-same-time-302896502.html

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.

## Key facts

- 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.

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