A Cardiff-based start-up, Space Forge, has made significant strides toward revolutionizing manufacturing in low Earth orbit. The company successfully launched a microwave-sized factory into space, demonstrating its ability to activate a furnace capable of reaching temperatures around 1,000°C. This innovation aims to produce high-quality semiconductor materials that can enhance electronics used in communications, computing, and transportation.
Conditions in space offer unique advantages for semiconductor manufacturing. In a weightless environment, the atoms in these materials can align in a highly ordered three-dimensional structure, resulting in semiconductors that are up to 4,000 times purer than those produced on Earth. The vacuum of space also prevents contaminants from interfering with the manufacturing process. According to Josh Western, CEO of Space Forge, “This sort of semiconductor would go on to be in the 5G tower in which you get your mobile phone signal, it’s going to be in the car charger you plug an EV into, it’s going to be in the latest planes.”
The company’s mini-factory launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in the summer of 2023. Since the deployment, the team has been monitoring its operations from their mission control located in Cardiff. The payload operations lead, Veronica Viera, expressed her excitement upon receiving an image from the satellite, which displayed glowing plasma inside the furnace. She remarked, “This is so important because it’s one of the core ingredients that we need for our in-space manufacturing process.”
Future Plans for Semiconductor Production
Space Forge is now planning to scale up its operations by developing a larger factory capable of producing semiconductor material for 10,000 chips. Additionally, the team is focused on testing the technology needed to return the manufactured materials safely to Earth. For future missions, they will deploy a heat shield named Pridwen, after the legendary shield of King Arthur, to protect the spacecraft during its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Other companies are also exploring the potential of in-space manufacturing, aiming to create a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals and artificial tissues. Libby Jackson, head of space at the Science Museum, commented on the growing interest in this field. “In-space manufacturing is something that is happening now,” she stated. “It’s the early days and they’re still showing this in small numbers at the moment. But by proving the technology, it really opens the door for an economically viable product, where things can be made in space and return to Earth and have use and benefit to everybody on Earth. And that’s really exciting.”
As Space Forge continues to develop its technology, the implications for both the space industry and earthly products could be transformative, paving the way for a future where manufacturing in space becomes a standard practice.
