Products made in space—and used on Earth—could be a reality in the coming years, revolutionizing industry with astral materials grown in orbit.
The Future of Manufacturing Might Be in Space
Products made in space—and used on Earth—could be a reality in the coming years.
Astral Materials, a California-based company, is designing machines that can grow valuable materials in orbit. Jessica Frick wants to build furnaces in space to produce everything from medicine to semiconductors. Her goal is ‘to make money in space.‘ Scientists have long suggested that the microgravity environment of Earth’s orbit could enable the production of higher-quality products than it is possible to make on Earth.
Unique Manufacturing Processes
The absence of gravity allows for unique manufacturing processes that cannot be replicated on Earth, thanks to the interesting physics of near-weightlessness. Crystal growth is one such process. On Earth, engineers take a high-purity, small, silicon seed crystal and dip it into molten silicon to create a larger crystal of high-quality silicon. However, the effect of gravity on the growth process can introduce impurities.
Microgravity manufacturing refers to the process of creating materials and products in space, where the absence of gravity enables unique properties.
This technique is being explored for its potential benefits in producing high-quality crystals, fibers, and other materials.
In microgravity, fluids can be suspended and manipulated with greater precision, allowing for more efficient processing.
Companies like 'NASA' and private organizations are investing in microgravity manufacturing research to unlock new technologies and applications.
New Possibilities
Growing these seed crystals in space could lead to much more pure wafers, says Joshua Western, CEO of UK company Space Forge. The applications of crystal growth are not just limited to semiconductors but could also lead to higher quality pharmaceuticals and other materials science breakthroughs.
The unique environment of low gravity can offer new possibilities in medical research. ‘When you shut off gravity, you’re able to fabricate something like an organ, ‘ says Mike Gold, the president of civil and international space business at Redwire. Companies are experimenting with in-space manufacturing on the International Space Station for years.
Overcoming Challenges
A key challenge for in-space manufacturing is how you actually get equipment to space and products back to Earth in a way that makes production at scale viable. However, rockets like SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 have dramatically reduced the cost of accessing space. Companies are developing uncrewed capsules that could fly equipment and return materials to Earth.
Space transportation has undergone significant advancements since its inception.
The first successful launch was achieved by Soviet Union's R-7 rocket in 1957, carrying Sputnik 1 into orbit.
Since then, various countries have developed their own space programs, including the United States' Mercury and Gemini missions.
Modern space transportation includes reusable rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Shepard, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Varda Space Industries has already launched three missions to demonstrate this capability, bringing capsules down for a landing in the Utah desert and Australian outback. On its first mission last year, the company successfully grew crystals of an antiviral drug called ritonavir. The market potential and health benefits could be ‘pretty dramatic‘ for products like this.
Varda Space Industries is a pioneering company that specializes in in-orbit manufacturing.
Founded in 2020, the company has developed a proprietary system for producing large structures in space using local materials.
This innovative approach enables the creation of complex systems and components without the need for expensive and time-consuming launches from Earth.
Varda's technology has significant implications for various industries, including satellite manufacturing, space exploration, and even asteroid mining.
Scaling Up
As orbital manufacturing capabilities increase in the coming years, things could scale up rapidly. ‘I envision manufacturing facilities in orbit will look like factories in space, ‘ says Eric Lasker, Varda’s chief revenue officer. Several companies have their sights set on asteroid mining; California-based AstroForge aims to land on a suspected metallic asteroid in the next year and see if it can extract usable material.
A New Reality
Space manufacturing still ‘seems like a novelty,‘ says Mike Curtis-Rouse, head of in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing at the UK-based research organization Satellite Applications Catapult. However, ‘I think very rapidly, inside 10 years, it’s going to be seen as business as usual.‘
- wired.com | The Future of Manufacturing Might Be in Space
