Varda's W-5 capsule lands in South Australia

Varda Space Industries/W-series capsules

Varda's W-5 capsule reentered at over Mach 25 on January 29, 2026 and landed at Koonibba, South Australia, carrying a U.S. Navy payload collecting hypersonic reentry data. It was Varda's fourth reentry and the first flight of its next-generation satellite bus with an in-house manufactured heat shield.

• Reentry: January 29, 2026 at 6:07 AM Pacific; landing at Koonibba Test Range, South Australia
• Payload: U.S. Navy data collection system for hypersonic reentry characteristics research
• First reentry of next-generation satellite bus; in-house C-PICA heat shield; fourth Varda reentry overall
• Demonstrates spacecraft and capsule ownership enabling faster iteration and affordable hypersonic testing