UK startup Space Forge is preparing to launch a test satellite aimed at producing new semiconductor materials, which are expected to be used in electronic devices.
Space Forge lost its first test satellite when Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket launch in Cornwall failed in January. The new satellite, ForgeStar-1, will be transported to the United States for a launch planned for late this year or early next year, according to Josh Western, founder and CEO of Space Forge, as reported by Space on October 2.
Space Forge’s satellite will produce new semiconductor materials in space. (Photo: Space Forge).
Recently, Space Forge signed a collaboration agreement with American aerospace company Northrop Grumman to provide semiconductors produced in space, which Northrop Grumman will further develop in its facilities.
Semiconductor materials are essential for all types of electronic technology, but producing them on Earth is costly and energy-intensive. The microgravity and vacuum conditions of space could allow for the development of entirely new semiconductor materials that are much more efficient, according to Western.
“Producing mixed semiconductors is a very time-consuming and energy-intensive process; they develop one atom at a time, literally. Gravity also has a significant impact, altering the bonds between those atoms. In space, you can overcome this obstacle because there is no gravity,” Western stated.
Space also provides an ideal vacuum environment, a necessary condition to protect sensitive materials from contamination. On Earth, a vacuum environment must be created using industrial machinery. The combination of microgravity and vacuum in space could enable researchers to create semiconductors that are 10 to 100 times more efficient than those produced on Earth, according to Western.
The ForgeStar-1 satellite, approximately the size of a microwave, contains an automated mini chemical laboratory that allows experts to remotely mix chemical compounds and develop new semiconductor alloys as the satellite enters orbit. However, instead of bringing materials back to Earth, ForgeStar-1 will send digital experiment results to scientists, as this satellite is not designed to return.
The next “factory” of Space Forge will be designed to withstand the atmospheric reentry process, bringing products back to Earth. The company will not only focus on semiconductor production but also intends to use the satellite for other industrial processes. Western mentioned that the first returning satellite could be launched within the next two to three years.
