Space Forge has achieved a key milestone in commercial in-space manufacturing after successfully generating plasma aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite, marking what the company describes as a world-first capability for orbital semiconductor manufacturing on a free-flying commercial platform.
The demonstration establishes ForgeStar-1 as the first commercial spacecraft to generate and control plasma in low Earth orbit (LEO), a critical requirement for gas-phase crystal growth in semiconductor production. While similar experiments have previously been conducted on the International Space Station, this marks the first time the capability has been demonstrated on an autonomous commercial satellite designed specifically for manufacturing applications.
The milestone follows Space Forge’s earlier achievement of becoming the first and only organisation in the UK and Europe to receive a licence for in-space manufacturing. Together, the regulatory approval and on-orbit plasma generation signal a move from research-focused experimentation toward commercially oriented manufacturing beyond Earth.
“Generating plasma on orbit proves that the essential conditions for advanced crystal growth can be created on a dedicated commercial satellite,” said Joshua Western, CEO and co-founder of Space Forge. “This opens the possibility of developing a new manufacturing capability that complements terrestrial production.”
Space Forge’s work is focused on wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor materials, including gallium nitride, silicon carbide, aluminium nitride and diamond. These materials are central to applications such as power electronics, advanced communications, quantum technologies, defence systems and high-performance computing. On Earth, their production is limited by challenges including defect formation, impurity incorporation and thermal instability during crystal growth.
According to the company, the space environment offers distinct advantages. The absence of convection in microgravity, access to ultra-high vacuum conditions with minimal contamination, and stable thermal behaviour could enable the growth of higher-purity semiconductor crystals than those typically produced using terrestrial processes.
The plasma generation on ForgeStar-1 represents the first phase of a broader experimental programme. The satellite will conduct a series of parameter sweeps to study plasma behaviour in microgravity, with data expected to inform the design and operation of future missions aimed at scaling orbital semiconductor manufacturing.
The mission also includes a controlled end-of-life plan. As ForgeStar-1 enters natural orbital decay, its trajectory will be monitored using onboard systems and external support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The spacecraft is expected to conclude its mission with a controlled demise, serving as a test case for safe satellite disposal and a step toward future reusable or returnable in-space manufacturing systems.
In the longer term, Space Forge plans to integrate orbital crystal growth with terrestrial processing. Space-grown semiconductor seeds would be returned to Earth and further developed at the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials, creating a hybrid manufacturing model intended to enhance, rather than replace, existing global supply chains.
