High above the planet, in the cold silence of low Earth orbit, a microwave-sized satellite has quietly made history. On December 31, 2025, Space Forge, a Cardiff-based startup, announced it had generated plasma aboard its first satellite, ForgeStar-1—a breakthrough that could transform the way we manufacture some of the world’s most valuable materials. This wasn’t just a technical demonstration; it was a bold step toward a future where factories orbit the Earth, churning out ultra-pure semiconductors and other advanced materials that underpin modern electronics, communications, and even defense systems.
According to Space Forge’s cofounder and CEO, Joshua Western, "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." The company’s achievement, reported by BBC News and industry sources, marks the first time a commercial free-flying satellite—not a space station—has created and maintained plasma conditions suitable for crystal growth in microgravity.
The ForgeStar-1 satellite, launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission in June 2025, is about the size of a microwave oven. But don’t let its modest appearance fool you. Inside, it houses a furnace capable of reaching temperatures around 1,000 degrees Celsius. The company’s team, operating from their mission control in Cardiff, watched in awe as the satellite beamed back images of glowing plasma—a visual confirmation that their furnace could be switched on and operated remotely in the harsh environment of space.
Veronica Viera, Space Forge’s payload operations lead, described the moment as "one of the most exciting moments of my life." She explained, "This is so important because it's one of the core ingredients that we need for our in-space manufacturing process. So being able to demonstrate this is amazing." Plasma, a superheated gas, is essential for growing the kinds of crystals needed to produce high-performance semiconductors.
Why manufacture semiconductors in space? As it turns out, the unique conditions found in orbit are nearly impossible to replicate on Earth. The weightlessness of microgravity allows atoms to align in a perfectly ordered 3D structure, while the vacuum of space eliminates contaminants that can sneak into materials during production. The result? Semiconductors that are up to 4,000 times purer than those made on Earth, according to Space Forge. "The work that we're doing now is allowing us to create semiconductors up to 4,000 times purer in space than we can currently make here today," said Western. "This sort of semiconductor would go on to be in the 5G tower in which you get your mobile phone signal, it's going to be in the car charger you plug an EV into, it's going to be in the latest planes."
The implications are enormous. Gallium nitride, silicon carbide, aluminium nitride, and diamond—materials Space Forge aims to produce in orbit—are critical for power electronics, communications infrastructure, electric vehicles, and advanced computing. The purer and more ordered these materials are, the better they perform, leading to faster, more efficient, and longer-lasting devices. As the demand for high-quality semiconductors continues to surge worldwide, the ability to manufacture them in space could give industries a significant edge.
But the story doesn’t end with a single demonstration. Space Forge is already looking to the future. The company plans to run a series of tests to map plasma behavior in microgravity, using the data to guide the design and operation of future satellites. The next goal? To build a larger space factory that could produce enough semiconductor material for 10,000 chips—scaling up from demonstration to commercial production.
Of course, making the materials is only half the challenge. Getting them safely back to Earth is another. For this, Space Forge has developed a proprietary heat shield named Pridwen, inspired by the legendary shield of King Arthur. Pridwen is designed to protect the spacecraft and its precious cargo from the searing heat of atmospheric re-entry. The company aims to test both the heat shield and on-orbit aerodynamic control on ForgeStar-1, ensuring a controlled and safe demise—or, in future missions, a safe return of manufactured goods.
Unlike experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station, where manufacturing must compete for time, space, and resources in a shared, crew-tended environment, Space Forge’s approach is to use dedicated, autonomous satellites. This allows for repeatable, scalable production—a key factor if space-based manufacturing is to move beyond experiments and become a true industry. As the company puts it, their satellites are "built around autonomous manufacturing processes," giving them a flexibility and efficiency that multipurpose platforms can’t match.
Space Forge isn’t alone in eyeing the skies for the next industrial revolution. Other companies are exploring in-space manufacturing for everything from pharmaceuticals to artificial tissues. Libby Jackson, head of space at the Science Museum, told BBC News, "In-space manufacturing is something that is happening now. It's the early days and they're still showing this in small numbers at the moment. But by proving the technology it really opens the door for an economically viable product, where things can be made in space and return to Earth and have use and benefit to everybody on Earth. And that's really exciting."
Still, challenges remain. The economics of launching, operating, and returning space factories must prove competitive with Earth-based manufacturing. There are also technical hurdles, such as ensuring the integrity of returned materials and scaling up production. Yet, the potential rewards are hard to ignore. If successful, space manufacturing could complement existing supply chains, providing ultra-high-purity materials for critical applications and spurring innovation across multiple sectors.
For now, ForgeStar-1 is destined to burn up in the atmosphere after its mission is complete, but it will do so as a pioneer. The knowledge gained from this first plasma generation and the subsequent tests will inform a new generation of satellites—ones that could routinely manufacture and return materials from orbit, reshaping industries on Earth.
As the sun sets on 2025, Space Forge’s achievement is a reminder that the line between science fiction and reality is blurrier than ever. With each milestone, the dream of space factories supplying the world’s most advanced technologies edges closer to becoming an everyday fact of life.
