Space Forge, a Cardiff-based firm founded in 2018, is making big moves into the burgeoning market of in-space manufacturing. The company’s aim is to use materials made in space. Their charge is to create super-efficient future electronics, ultrafast photonic networks, and revolutionizing new frontiers in drug discovery. The company’s radically innovative process has the potential to change how industries—including, potentially, the rail industry—consider manufacturing and material sourcing.
Space Forge is powered by its ForgeStar-1 satellite. This satellite was launched to test an experimental orbital furnace, tailor-made for producing seed crystals. Back on Earth, we’ll apply these seed crystals. They’ll aid us in making substrates of gallium and aluminum nitride or silicon carbide that are key to creating high-performance power devices. Through this technology, Space Forge believes that they will reach new heights of efficiency not just in electronics, but across many industries.
Joshua Western, co-founder and CEO of Space Forge, has spoken about the extraordinary benefits that are possible with manufacturing in space. Silicon Valley based nFusion’s orbital furnace is able to produce an environment that simply cannot be reproduced here on Earth. He notes the difference in nitrogen concentration during crystal growth processes:
“For example, if you’re worried about nitrogen interfering with your growth process, on Earth [in a vacuum chamber] nitrogen might be present at a concentration of around 10 to the -11. In space, above 500 kilometers altitude, it’s naturally present at 10 to the -22.” – Joshua Western
Such precision might one day allow for the manufacture of semiconductor crystals that are close to perfect.
The Launch of ForgeStar-1
The ForgeStar-1 satellite is a milestone event not just for Space Forge, but for anyone interested in satellite technology. Launched into orbit, it carries with it an experimental heat shield that will be deployed during its eventual de-orbit maneuver. This satellite will be an excellent proving ground for all manufacturing processes that need the special conditions that only space can provide.
In December, Space Forge successfully powered up its orbital furnace on board ForgeStar-1. It pumped a plume of extremely-fluid plasma crystal to enable maximized growth-mode. The goal is to prove that the satellite can “repeatedly create and maintain the manufacturing environment required for the chemistry process” needed to grow superconductor crystals.
The implications of successful tests are vast. E. Steve Putna, director of the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute, states that “space-grown crystals have demonstrated significantly higher electron mobility,” which could potentially translate to a 20-40 percent increase in switching efficiency compared to Earth-grown counterparts.
Space Forge is already getting ready for its next mission. At the same time, the community is eagerly awaiting the return of the first batch of space-grown crystals. This transformative mission is scheduled to launch next year. It is designed to return a small quantity of material, their hope is only a few kilograms at most. Matt Francis, for one, believes this initial batch will be a big step towards full-scale in-space manufacturing.
The Future of In-Space Manufacturing
The demand in the emerging in-orbit manufacturing market alone is predicted to experience exponential growth in the next decade. Analysts project it could grow to an astounding $28.19 billion by 2034. Varda Industries and ACME Space are both working on space based pharmaceutical production. Last week, Varda Industries announced $329 million funding to help turn its vision into reality.
That growing excitement has some experts on guard. Anne Wilson suggests that while microgravity may not be ideal for bulk material production, “niche materials for specific applications might be worth the investment.” Yet this sentiment expresses the desire for great care in truly understanding when and how in-space manufacturing can be economically attractive.
Space Forge’s innovations have the potential to save millions of pounds in energy use on buildings, roads, and more. Joshua Western has noted that there is “potential for significant energy savings, perhaps as much as 50 percent within large infrastructure installations such as [5G] towers.” This flexibility has a potential to fundamentally change how every industry uses energy and save energy costs.
Challenges and Considerations
Though the promise of these benefits may seem great, there are still challenges on the road ahead. Western acknowledges that “there will be a level of degradation over time and over generations of growth” when using space-grown materials. Thus, sustained investigation will be necessary to provide a steady supply of these materials capable of withstanding the intense pressures associated with high-performance uses.
The technical and economic feasibility of producing and launching such materials into space is still up for debate. Matt Francis points out that while costs associated with space transportation are decreasing, “they’re not decreasing faster than the cost of producing wafers.” Looking past the recent historical lens, we can see that as semiconductor technology matures, the costs to produce have dramatically decreased.
Still, industry experts believe there is great potential in what space-grown substrates can provide. E. Steve Putna asserts that if a space-grown substrate increases the yield of a $10,000 high-end AI processor from 50 percent to 90 percent or allows a quantum computer to function closer to room temperature rather than near absolute zero, “the launch cost becomes a negligible fraction of the total value created.”