NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 05:19 ET
- Space Forge says it generated plasma on its ForgeStar-1 satellite, a first for commercial, free-flying in-space manufacturing
- The company is targeting wide-bandgap semiconductor materials used in power electronics and advanced communications
- The test is an early proof that key crystal-growth conditions can be created and controlled on an autonomous platform in orbit
U.K. startup Space Forge said on Dec. 31 it generated plasma — a superheated gas — aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite, calling it a world-first for commercial in-space manufacturing. The company said the milestone moves it closer to producing high-performance semiconductor materials in low Earth orbit.
Why it matters now: Space Forge said the plasma run shows it can create the extreme conditions needed for gas-phase crystal growth, a core step in forming semiconductor crystals from vapor. The Cardiff-based company is targeting wide- and ultra-wide bandgap materials such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide, which are used in high-power electronics and advanced communications, among other applications.
The push to manufacture in orbit has largely leaned on experiments aboard the International Space Station, but this demonstration ran uncrewed on a commercial spacecraft, Scientific American reported. “This demonstration shows that semiconductor crystal manufacturing can happen in space just using machines,” said Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Scientific American also reported that the company’s microwave-sized factory reached about 1,000 degrees Celsius in a furnace test. Scientific American
Plasma forms when a gas gets hot enough that atoms lose electrons, creating a mix of charged particles. In microgravity — near-weightlessness — engineers aim to reduce convection currents that can disturb crystal growth, while the vacuum of space can limit contamination.
Space Forge said the plasma demonstration is the start of a series of runs designed to map how the plasma behaves in microgravity. The company said the data will help inform the design and operation of future missions intended to turn test runs into usable materials.
Space Forge has said ForgeStar-1 will end in a planned atmospheric burn-up as its orbit decays. The company has framed that approach as a test of safe satellite demise, meaning the spacecraft is designed to fully disintegrate on re-entry rather than leave debris.
The company’s longer-term pitch is a hybrid manufacturing model: use orbit to grow high-quality crystal “seeds,” then scale production on Earth through existing industrial processes. Space Forge has said the goal is to complement — not replace — current semiconductor supply chains.
ForgeStar-1 launched in June on SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Space Forge said. The company has said the satellite is not designed to return to Earth, but is meant to generate test data and validate elements of its re-entry and tracking technology for future, recoverable missions.
Other startups are also testing what can be made in microgravity and brought back. Varda Space Industries has published results describing the successful recovery of a form of the drug ritonavir generated in orbit and returned to Earth.
Space Forge says the target materials are difficult to perfect on Earth because defects and impurities can limit performance. The company argues that microgravity and ultra-clean vacuum conditions can help produce cleaner crystals, which in turn can improve efficiency in downstream electronics.
Even if the physics works, the business case hinges on repeatability and logistics. Companies will need to show consistent material quality and a reliable path for returning products without driving costs above what terrestrial manufacturing can support.
