Founded in 2018 and hailing from Wales, Space Forge are getting ready to change the game for electronics production. Their creative approaches to orbital manufacturing are truly a game changer. In time, their endeavors might lead to realization of ultra-efficient next-generation electronics, ultrafast optical networks, and breakthroughs in pharmaceutical research. Most recently, in December, Space Forge deployed an orbital furnace on its ForgeStar-1 satellite. This achievement is a major breakthrough in the pursuit of high-performance sustainable materials.
The orbital furnace creates a continuous carpet of super-heated plasma. There, in the extreme vacuum and microgravity of space, this plasma can create nearly perfect semiconductor crystals. In this revolutionary technology, artificial seed crystals are created. These crystals are then later used to produce substrates of gallium and aluminum nitride or silicon carbide on Earth. These materials are deeply enabling for developing the next generation of high-performance power devices, which are absolutely critical for future advancement in electronics.
The ForgeStar-1 demonstration satellite will help prove out its capability to systematically and repeatedly produce the conditions required to drive desirable chemical reactions. Both processes consist of fields necessary for the cultivation of superconductor crystals. Space Forge plans to deploy a novel heat shield during the satellite’s upcoming de-orbit maneuver later this year, further validating its innovative capabilities.
Groundbreaking Milestones in Orbital Manufacturing
Space Forge is on to something with this extraordinary breakthrough in orbital manufacturing. Their most recent maneuvers were the first successful execution of a free-flying commercial satellite that operates completely autonomously. Since early 2023, the company has flown several successful orbital flights to demonstrate its return technology. This year, it is preparing for even bigger and more destructive tests.
We expect them to return with the follow-up mission next year. Space Forge’s co-founder and CEO, Joshua Western, explains the transformative effect this could have on the electronics industry. Though the weight of material returned will be small—only a few kilograms at most—it’s possible that its impact will be much larger.
“From a single kilogram of space-grown semiconductor, manufacturers on Earth will grow tonnes of high-performance material.” – Joshua Western
Western illustrates some of the advantages of cultivating materials in space. He stresses the importance of microgravity environments in that they drastically reduce any contaminants. He outlines how nitrogen, in the case of over-fertilized lawns, for instance, disrupts normal growth processes. Otherwise, nitrogen is found at ~10^-11 concentration levels (in vacuo) in terrestrial laboratory vacuum chambers. Conversely, it is found in much less amount at 10 to the -22 in the space.
Challenges and Future Prospects
While many people are hopeful about these innovations, others caution that it may not be realistic to mass-produce materials in space. Anne Wilson, a long-time industry observer, raises doubts that microgravity represents the best option for bulk material manufacturing. That said, she concedes that advanced niche materials custom-designed for specific applications could be worth investing in orbital production projects.
“I don’t think that microgravity is going to be ideal for the manufacture of bulk materials. However, niche materials for specific applications might be worth the investment.” – Anne Wilson
Western focuses on big potential energy savings from these innovations. He continues that deep cuts—as much as 50 percent—could be achieved inside high-density infrastructure deployments like 5G poles. E. Steve Putna adds that these advancements could be transformative for AI data centers, where cooling costs pose a substantial challenge.
“There is potential for significant energy savings, perhaps as much as 50 percent within large infrastructure installations such as 5G towers.” – Joshua Western
“a game-changer for AI data centers where cooling costs are a primary bottleneck.” – E. Steve Putna
As Space Forge forges ahead, one thing is certain—industry experts are excited to learn exactly what Space Forge’s work means for the future. Matt Francis explains the importance of a recent decrease in wafer production costs. DTAs have collapsed from $20,000 per wafer down to only a few hundreds in volume markets. The economics of space manufacturing is tricky.
“While I remember paying $20k a wafer in the early days, we are down in the hundreds of dollars range in volume markets like power.” – Matt Francis
Instead, he cautions that launch costs are going down. They may not decline quickly enough to keep pace with the decreasing expense of terrestrial wafer fabrication. Along these lines, there is concern about the potential for degradation in any materials grown in space over time and across generations.
“There will be a level of degradation over time and over generations of growth.” – Joshua Western
The Bigger Picture
The significance of Space Forge’s progress goes far past just new manufacturing methods. A space-grown substrate would provide an order of magnitude improvement in yield for high-end AI processors. It could allow quantum computers to operate at higher temperatures, producing value that far exceeds the cost of their initial deployment.
“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.” – E. Steve Putna
