<div class="grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:max-w-[750px] md:grid-cols-article md:max-w-screen-sm" data-article-body="true"><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color"><i>When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.</i></p><figure class="relative col-body mb-4"><div class="relative"><img alt=" An image of hot plasma produced aboard the ForgeStar-1 in-orbit manufacturing experimental satellite. " loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="fig-image-round" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_mWpDRLdJb7eXux25mQMQA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/space_311/9a4ceae4e72a2b444dcee8e8fce3f3e8"><button aria-label="View larger image" class="group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent" data-ylk="elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;"><span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none"><svg viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-hidden="true" class="size-4 lg:size-6" width="22" height="22"><path d="M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z"></path></svg></span></button><dialog aria-label="Modal Dialog" aria-modal="true" class="fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden"></dialog></div><figcaption class="relative text-[0.875rem]/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 pr-2.5"><div>First plasma produced aboard a commercial satellite is a major step toward in-orbit manufacturing. | Credit: Space Forge</div></figcaption></figure><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">In-orbit manufacturing start-up Space Forge has produced its first plasma in orbit aboard the ForgeStar-1 satellite. It's a world first and a major step toward the company's vision of making novel semiconductors in space, which could revolutionize future electronic technologies.</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">UK-based Space Forge launched its pioneering <a href="https://www.spaceforge.com/news/the-forge-awakens-space-forge-successfully-launches-forgestar-1-the-uks-first-in-space-manufacturing-satellite" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:ForgeStar-1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>ForgeStar-1</u></a> craft in June 2025 and has been bringing it to life since. In December 2025, the microwave oven-sized satellite fired up its miniature furnace for the first time and generated plasma — a stream of gas as hot as 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius). In future missions, such plasma will help SpaceForge forge super efficient, out-of-this-world materials in weightlessness.</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">"Generating plasma on orbit represents a fundamental shift, it proves that the essential environment for advanced crystal growth can be achieved on a dedicated, commercial satellite — opening the door to a completely new manufacturing frontier," Joshua Western, CEO and co-founder of Space Forge said <a href="https://www.spaceforge.com/news/space-forge-ignites-a-new-industrial-era-delivering-world-first-capability-for-orbital-semiconductor-manufacturing" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:in a statement;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>in a statement</u></a>.</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">SpaceForge, founded in 2018, plans to use a similar furnace on a future satellite to manufacture a batch of novel semiconductors directly in the weightless environment of space. Such experiments have previously only been conducted aboard the <a href="https://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:International Space Station.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>International Space Station. </u></a></p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">"The plasma demonstration confirms that the extreme conditions needed for gas-phase crystal growth — a core building block of semiconductor production — can now be created and controlled on an autonomous platform in low Earth orbit," the company said in the statement. "The achievement establishes ForgeStar-1 as the first free-flying commercial semiconductor manufacturing tool ever operated in space."</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">Thanks to the absence of gravity, atoms in semiconductors grown in space align so accurately that the resulting material provides a superior performance to anything made on <a href="https://www.space.com/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Earth;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Earth</u></a>. Space Forge estimates that the improved efficiency of these semiconductors could enable reductions in the energy use of electronic devices by up to 60 percent.</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">The semiconductors, based on rare materials such as gallium nitride, silicon carbide or diamond, could be used in future telecommunications systems, electronic devices and next-generation computers.</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">The current ForgeStar-1 will only test the orbital factory equipment. The satellite will deorbit and burn up in the atmosphere later this year. Before its mission ends, the craft will run more experiments to analyze how the generated plasma behaves in microgravity and collect data to help the company's engineers fine-tune the future missions.</p><p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color">Space Forge raised <a href="https://www.spaceforge.com/news/space-forge-secures-record-breaking-series-a-funding-to-revolutionise-industrial-materials-using-space" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:a generous Series A funding round;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>a generous Series A funding round</u></a> of £22.6 million ($30.5 million) last year that will allow the company to build the successor satellite ForgeStar-2, which will make the first batch of Space Forge's made-in-space semiconductors. The spacecraft will be fitted with a novel heat shield to survive the atmospheric return and deliver its precious cargo safely to Earth.</p></div>

Such experiments have previously only been conducted aboard the International Space Station.

'A completely new manufacturing frontier': Space Forge fires up 1st commercial semiconductor factory in space

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