Rocket Lab, space factories start-up Varda deal for Photon spacecraft

Rocket Lab announced a deal with start-up Varda Space Industries on Wednesday to provide three Photon spacecraft to support Varda’s first in-space manufacturing missions beginning in 18 months.

“In simple terms, we are the real estate and the utilities for the space factory,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck told CNBC. “We really provide all of the utilities, the power, the pointing and communications and everything to enable the little factory to work away and do their thing.”

Beck declined to comment on the value of the contract, noting that it “is commercially sensitive to Varda and us.” Varda co-founder Delian Asparouhov told…