Leadership additions will further accelerate growth across pharmaceutical and defense markets as Varda captures revenue on the way to the world’s first commercial pharmaceutical product made in orbit.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Varda Space Industries, the leader in orbital pharmaceutical processing and hypersonic reentry, announced the appointments of Steve Layne as Chief Revenue Officer and Aaron Huber as Chief Financial Officer. The two appointments strengthen Varda’s leadership team, as the company scales operations across its two primary markets: pharmaceutical development and government programs.

Layne brings over 30 years of large-scale defense program experience to Varda, most recently serving as Vice President and Deputy General Manager for Strategic and Missile Defense Systems at LM Space. Prior to that, Layne was Vice President of Hypersonic Strike Weapon Systems at Lockheed Martin where he led the company’s work on two of the Pentagon’s highest-priority hypersonic initiatives. Layne’s career spans the full program lifecycle in high-stakes national security environments, from early-stage development through multi-billion-dollar sustainment contracts.

Huber joins Varda as a CFO with nearly two decades of experience navigating the intersection of deep-tech and capital markets. His background spans automotive technology, synthetic biology, and healthcare AI, and includes a $1.6 billion NYSE listing, multiple acquisitions, and complex non-dilutive financing structures.

“Steve and Aaron each bring the experience Varda needs as we continue to expand our operations and increase flights,” said Will Bruey, CEO of Varda Space Industries. “Together, they give us the commercial and financial leadership to match and support the technical progress we’ve made.”

Varda has completed six successful launch and return missions and is advancing toward delivering the world’s first commercial pharmaceutical product manufactured in low Earth orbit, leveraging microgravity to produce drug formulations that are otherwise impossible to achieve on Earth. With three vehicles at launch sites around the country, the company will bring its reentry record to nine commercial reentries by the end of the year.

About Varda

Varda Space Industries is a microgravity-enabled life sciences company that makes pharmaceuticals in orbit to benefit patients on Earth. Through routine, high cadence pharmaceutical formulation and hypersonic reentry, Varda is building the infrastructure for a thriving orbital economy. The company operates out of El Segundo, California with office and industrial production space and has office space in Washington, D.C. and Huntsville, Alabama. Follow Varda on X (@vardaspace), Instagram (@vardaspaceindustries), and LinkedIn.

Alex Pearlman, Head of Communications and Marketing: press@varda.com

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SOURCE Varda Space Industries Inc.