On 18 December 2023, Space Forge successfully powered on its orbital furnace aboard the ForgeStar-1 satellite. This accomplishment represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of a domestic advanced electronics manufacturing. This cutting-edge furnace produces a continuous jet of super-heated plasma that entirely fulfills the specific requirements for growing seed crystals used in developing high-performance power devices. Realising this potential over the coming year Space Forge will launch a broader initiative to take advantage of the unique benefits of space to produce advanced materials. This concerted effort is ushering in a new era in semiconductor technology.
In 2018, the young visionary Joshua Western and his industrious team established Space Forge. They envision a future where manufacturing materials found in space unlock hyper-efficient, next-gen electronics. The private space company has completed several orbital flights since the beginning of 2023 to test its return technology. They hope to conduct many more experiments over the course of the year. Eventually, like all satellites, the ForgeStar-1 will meet its end when it returns to Earth. It’s still on track to produce its first batch of space-grown crystals—thanks to a follow-up mission that’s been planned for next year.
The goal of Space Forge is much bigger than just science experiments. The company’s mission is to manufacture near-perfect semiconductor crystals in space, using the unique properties of the microgravity environment to improve the process of growth. This approach would yield materials with better properties than their Earth-fabricated counterparts and it would have the power to revolutionize countless industries.
The Science Behind Space-Grown Crystals
Space Forge’s orbital furnace is specifically designed to develop and maintain the precise conditions required to grow high quality superconducting crystals. The unique microgravity environment and its ability to provide things not possible by traditional Earth-based methods are instrumental to this process.
Joshua Western explains, “On Earth, you have trouble that, perhaps, some crystals grow around the interior of the reactor and not in other parts because the process between hot and cold is influenced by gravity.” Microgravity makes convection nearly impossible, resulting in what Western calls “a constantly even deposition environment.” This uniformity contributes to improved crystal quality.
Its primary focus is on advanced materials, such as gallium nitride, aluminum nitride and silicon carbide. These materials have proven high-performance, high-efficiency properties. Western points out that microgravity conditions provide a “more favorable head start” to the process of crystal growth. Because of this, that results in increased size and uniformity of the crystals with better performing attributes.
“In space, above 500 kilometers altitude, it’s naturally present at 10 to the -22.” – Joshua Western
This benefit results from the lower interference of nitrogen and other contaminates that can influence crystal purity on Earth. Western notes that “if you’re worried about nitrogen interfering with your growth process, on Earth [in a vacuum chamber] nitrogen might be present at concentration of around 10 to the -11.”
Economic Implications of Space Manufacturing
The possible economic impacts from Space Forge’s technologies are large. Putna underscored that crystals grown in space have much higher electron mobility. This discovery has the potential to generate transformative advances in the performance of semiconductors. These advances are now enabling increased yields for more complicated technologies such as artificial intelligence processors and quantum computers.
“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
Western highlights the potential for energy efficiency with applications such as 5G towers, suggesting that there may be “significant energy savings, perhaps as much as 50 percent within large infrastructure installations.” That kind of efficiency may deliver enough of a business case to drive investment in developing space-based manufacturing technologies.
For all of these encouraging signs, many in the industry are still skeptical. Anne Wilson, director of the Institute for Advanced Production, says she’s doubtful that large-scale material production would even be feasible in space. She states, “I don’t think that microgravity is going to be ideal for the manufacture of bulk materials.” She acknowledges that “niche materials for specific applications might be worth the investment.”
Future Missions and Goals
As Space Forge looks ahead to its next steps, it continues to keep its eye on the goal of perfecting its technology and developing its capabilities. The soon-to-be launched mission is a make-or-break moment for the small company. To do that, it seeks to recover its first collection of space-grown crystals. The results from these samples should help inform the effectiveness of space-based manufacturing techniques.
Space Forge imagines the world of the future where on-orbit they are producing these seed crystals. They’re looking to produce a robust supply chain of high-performance materials produced by these cutting edge processes. Specifically, they are exploiting the exceptional conditions found in space. Their purpose is to push the bleeding edge of semiconductor development to the benefit of all industries.
It all has Joshua Western, CEO of advanced ground transportation company, optimistic toward future possibilities. He asserts that “the thermal performance of a semiconductor is directly driven by how good its lattice structure is and how good its purity is.” Space Forge has been making impressive progress on their tech-in-an-orbital-furnace. They’ve already returned successful space-grown crystals and are hoping to innovate new methods of electronics manufacturing with these advances.