Comments on: What satellite did the Varda capsule fly past during its return last week?

By: Edward

Edward — Sun, 18 May 2025 00:37:05 +0000

Robert Zimmerman,
My thought at the time I watched the video is similar to your thoughts, except I did not imagine that there was a second burn from the carrier. My thinking was that the reentry capsule was released in an upward direction so that the carrier would travel deeper into the atmosphere and reenter earlier, with less aerodynamics so that the two were not in danger of collision.

By: David Eastman

David Eastman — Sat, 17 May 2025 20:55:24 +0000

At the time where that other object is visible, the Varda capsule is already experiencing obvious atmospheric effects, you can see that the tumble isn’t regular and constant as it would be in vacuum. So whatever the other object is, it’s also re-entering. Which is just confirmation that it must be the service module, because while the odds of a close pass against some other random satellite are astronomical, the odds of a close pass against some other random satellite that happens to be re-entering at the same place and time…

The service module is presumably less aerodynamic than the capsule, and with all the fuel expended, might also have less mass. So at the first real intersection with atmosphere, it’s going to slow down more and end up on a steeper trajectory. The difference won’t be huge, but easily enough to explain why the service module appears below and behind the capsule.

By: Robert Zimmerman

Robert Zimmerman — Sat, 17 May 2025 19:27:40 +0000

In reply to Steve Golson.

All: If this is Proton, explain please why it appears to be below the Varda capsule. My guess would be the following:

1. Proton does the de-orbit burn for Varda.
2. The two craft separate.
3. Proton does a second de-orbit burn to bring it down in the ocean.

The result is that Proton is behind Varda, but dropping faster so that ends up below and going past.

That is a pure guess on my part. Anyone more educated in these matters wish to chime in?

By: Steve Golson

Steve Golson — Sat, 17 May 2025 19:00:38 +0000

That’s the Photon spacecraft that deployed the capsule. Built by Rocket Lab.

One of the comments on the video pointed this out.

By: Peter Monta

Peter Monta — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:50:42 +0000

Several YouTube commenters say that it was the Photon module, which would have detached from the Varda craft before reentry. An unrelated satellite would probably have been within camera range for only a very short time.

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:48:42 +0000

The object in the video bears a superficial resemblance to the Varda W-series carrier platform as portrayed on the Varda website. The low relative velocity makes it quite likely that the two objects share a common orbit, as they would from after ejection of the reentry capsule, until it began to respond to reentry heating, which would promptly separate the two and destroy the carrier.