🚀 Falcon 9 | 🛰 Varda W-3 capsule (Transporter 13)
Launch date: March 15, 2025 06:43 UTC
Payload: Varda W-3 capsule (Transporter 13)
Location: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
Vehicle: Falcon 9
Varda Space Industries successfully completed its third space capsule return mission as the W-3 capsule landed in South Australia on May 13, 2025, after launching aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on March 15 at 06:43 UTC. The mission was part of SpaceX’s Transporter 13 rideshare and lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 first stage booster (B1081) landed back at nearby Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), marking another successful recovery.
W-3 spent 8.5 weeks in orbit, supporting a hypersonic navigation systems test for the U.S. Air Force in partnership with Innovative Scientific Solutions Incorporated (ISSI). The landing at Australia’s Koonibba Test Range marked Varda’s second mission to that site and demonstrated the company’s high-cadence return capability. Varda’s capsules rely on Rocket Lab’s Pioneer satellite bus for power, communications, and reentry support. W-4 is currently in preparation for a future mission.
SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA
Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) is part of the larger Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Originally built as Launch Complex 75-1-2 and used by the U.S. Air Force for Atlas-Agena and Titan rockets in the 1960s and 1970s, it was later refurbished by SpaceX beginning in 2011. SpaceX rebuilt the facility to support Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches aimed at sun-synchronous and polar orbits—trajectories best served from Vandenberg.
The first Falcon 9 launch from SLC-4E took place in September 2013. Since then, it has become SpaceX’s primary West Coast launch site, supporting both government and commercial payloads, including earth observation and reconnaissance satellites. In addition to supporting reusable launch vehicle operations, SLC-4E also hosts infrastructure for rocket landing and recovery, helping to advance SpaceX’s reusability efforts.