News is shifting toward power-heavy, ambitious space missions. This page explores Vast Space's 15 kW satellite bus, its potential impact on lunar and cislunar exploration, and the promise of microgravity pharma with Varda and United Therapeutics. Read on to see who benefits, what changes are coming, and which therapies might lead the charge.
Vast Space has developed a 15 kW satellite bus designed to power sophisticated payloads and propulsion systems for deep-space missions. This higher power capability enables larger instruments, improved data rates, and advanced life-support or propulsion hardware. Organizations planning power-intensive missions—such as lunar surface operations, cislunar communications relays, or cargo-delivery spacecraft—could benefit from this bus. If you’re asking who needs more power, the answer is anyone aiming to carry heavier science payloads, operate high-bandwidth communication links, or sustain long-duration missions far from Earth.
A 15 kW power capability supports more capable landers, rovers, and habitats with higher energy needs. It can enable real-time high-definition data transmission, more robust life-support systems, and heavier scientific instruments on the Moon or in near-Earth space. In cislunar corridors, this power edge improves communication relays and propulsion options for transfers, potentially shortening transit times and enabling more ambitious surface operations or infrastructure demonstrations.
Microgravity pharma uses the unique environment of space to grow, formulate, or test drugs in ways not possible on Earth. Firms like Varda and United Therapeutics are exploring how microgravity can influence drug stability, crystallization, and manufacturing processes to improve therapies. The combination of a high-power space bus and microgravity platforms could accelerate development cycles and lead to novel medical products with enhanced efficacy or new formulations.
Early beneficiaries are often therapies where crystal size, purity, or assembly is crucial, such as biologics, protein crystallization-focused drugs, or complex biopharmaceuticals. Space-based manufacturing and testing can help refine crystalline forms and drug delivery systems. While specific disease targets may vary, patients waiting for more effective formulations of biologics or targeted therapies could see downstream benefits as microgravity-based processes mature.
NASA’s Artemis-era plans to establish a semi-permanent lunar outpost create demand for reliable, high-power systems, long-duration life support, and robust communications—areas where a 15 kW satellite bus fits naturally. Private players, including those developing lunar landers, rovers, and cargo systems, can leverage these power solutions to scale missions, improve payload capabilities, and speed up the timeline toward sustained presence on the Moon.
In 2026, momentum centers on multiple uncrewed missions advancing NASA’s moon-base plan, with collaborations involving Blue Origin and other partners. Expect a sequence of landers, rovers, and cargo missions designed to test systems for a broader, semi-permanent lunar infrastructure by 2029. This phased approach emphasizes infrastructure, habitation readiness, and international payloads as stepping stones toward a long-term lunar presence.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman touted three upcoming moon-based missions, teasing that there are more than a dozen more in the works.