09:02 AM EST, 02/12/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Rocket Lab USA ( RKLB ) said Wednesday that it delivered a third pioneer spacecraft for Varda Space Industries to Vandenberg Space Force Base in preparation for the W-3 mission.

The company said the pioneer spacecraft will provide essential systems - power, communications, propulsion and attitude control - for Varda's 120kg manufacturing capsule, designed for microgravity-based product development.

After the capsule's on-orbit production, Rocket Lab and Varda will conduct in-space operations and reentry positioning maneuvers to deorbit, land, and recover Varda's capsule, the company said. The recovery is expected to take place in Australia at the Koonibba Test Range, operated by Southern Launch.

The W-3 mission is set to launch no earlier than March, with Rocket Lab's fourth spacecraft for Varda in final assembly at the company's Long Beach, California facility, it added.