HIV/AIDS Drug Making Aircraft Successfully Landing In Utah After Burning In Atmosphere

JAKARTA Winnebago-1 (W-1), a plane containing a drug-making capsule, landed on Earth's surface on Thursday, February 22 at 04.40 WIB. The plane landed in the Utah desert area.

From the images shared by Varda Space Industries on platform X, the plane landed in a state of damage due to the de-orbit process. The plane made by Varda will be transported to a development facility for further analysis.

Our kapsul will be transported back to our facilities in Los Angeles for post-mission analysis. In addition, data collected along the capsule's flight, including parts as we reach hypersonic speed, will be shared with the Air Force and NASA," Varda said.

The landing in Utah indicates that Varda's first experimental mission was successful. The plane was able to complete the mission even though the capsule's return had been delayed for eight months due to refusal from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The process-orbit was first carried out on Monday, February 19. Rocket Lab, a company that helps launch, directs the aircraft to enter the orbital trajectory before the aircraft engines are turned on.

After passing four stages of engine combustion, photons caught fire in the atmosphere and capsules that had heat shielding continued to lead to Earth. With the help of a parachute, the capsule finally fell on the Utah Test and Training Series (UTR).

In the W-1 capsule, there is a ritonavir drug used to treat HIV/AIDS. The drugs developed in space will be sent to Improved Pharma, a research company in the pharmaceutical sector, for post-flight characterization.