UK science firm moves closer to building factories in orbit after firing up 1,000C space furnace

What once sounded like science fiction is edging toward reality, a factory operating hundreds of kilometres above Earth, producing advanced materials in orbit.

A Cardiff based company, Space Forge, has taken a major step in that direction after successfully switching on a powerful furnace inside a miniature factory sent into space.

The microwave sized manufacturing unit has been placed in orbit and has proven it can reach temperatures of around 1,000C, a crucial milestone for the company’s ambition to manufacture next generation semiconductor materials in space.

UK science firm moves

Those materials would later be returned to Earth for use in electronics that underpin modern life, including communications infrastructure, computing systems and transport technology.

Space offers near perfect conditions for producing high performance semiconductors. In a weightless environment, atoms arrange themselves into an exceptionally precise three dimensional structure. The vacuum of space also eliminates the risk of contamination.

The purer and more orderly the atomic structure, the better a semiconductor performs.

Josh Western, chief executive of Space Forge, said the results were transformative.

“The work we’re doing now is allowing us to create semiconductors up to 4,000 times purer in space than we can make on Earth today,” he said. “These kinds of materials will end up in 5G phone masts, electric vehicle charging systems and even the latest aircraft.”

The company’s mini factory was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket during the summer. Since then, engineers have been monitoring and testing its systems from mission control in Cardiff.

Veronica Viera, Space Forge’s payload operations lead, described the moment the team received confirmation the furnace was working as unforgettable.

She pointed to an image transmitted from orbit that shows glowing plasma inside the furnace, gas heated to around 1,000C.

“It was one of the most exciting moments of my life,” she said. “This is a core ingredient in our in space manufacturing process, so being able to demonstrate it successfully is huge.”

With the initial test complete, the company is now preparing to scale up. Plans are under way for a larger orbital factory capable of producing semiconductor material for up to 10,000 chips at a time.

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Another critical challenge still lies ahead, bringing the manufactured materials safely back to Earth. On a future mission, Space Forge intends to deploy a heat shield called Pridwen, named after the legendary shield of King Arthur. It is designed to protect the spacecraft as it endures extreme temperatures during re entry through Earth’s atmosphere.

Space Forge is not alone in looking beyond the planet for manufacturing opportunities. Other companies are exploring the potential to produce pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and even artificial tissues in orbit.

Libby Jackson, head of space at the Science Museum, said the sector is already moving from theory to practice.

“In space manufacturing is happening now,” she said. “It’s still early days and the numbers are small, but proving the technology opens the door to products that are economically viable.”

She added that the long term promise is compelling. “Making things in space, bringing them back to Earth and using them to benefit everyone is incredibly exciting.”

As orbital manufacturing moves from experiment to industry, the idea of factories in space no longer belongs solely to science fiction.