Varda will send its first space factory to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket

So, what will it manufacture? I don’t follow developments in this field, but as far as I know decades of work in Skylab, SpaceLab and the ISS hadn’t delivered a clear case where lifting raw materials into space and bringing back manufactured goods can be profitable.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Space_manufacturing" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Space_manufacturing</a> seems to agree, with phrases such as <i>There are thought to be a number of useful products that can potentially be manufactured in space and result in an economic benefit.</i><p>Or are they aiming for a long-term goal to keep manufactured goods in space?

&gt; Varda’s goal is to unlock the benefits of microgravity -- which can only be found for sustained periods in space -- for manufacturing novel materials, like bio-printed organs or specialized semiconductors. The startup’s bet is that the potential market for such materials is high enough to make the effort worth it.