Space Forge reports plasma success in semiconductor manufacturing orbit

Semiconductor Manufacturing Semiconductors from Orbit: Space Forge Reports Plasma Success

2026-01-19 From Susanne Braun | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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With the Forgestar-1 satellite, Space Forge is pursuing the vision of growing high-purity crystal nuclei in orbit, which will serve as the basis for later processing into single crystals on Earth. The company has now announced its first success: plasma has been generated on board ForgeStar-1 for the first time.

Space Forge plans to grow crystal nuclei on board the ForgeStar-1 satellite, which will be used on Earth for further processing into larger single crystals.(Image: Space Forge) — Space Forge plans to grow crystal nuclei on board the ForgeStar-1 satellite, which will be used on Earth for further processing into larger single crystals.
(Image: Space Forge)

British aerospace and manufacturing company Space Forge has launched the free-flying manufacturing satellite Forgestar-1 into orbit in 2025 and announced the platform's first success to celebrate the new year. According to the company, the project has achieved a world first for commercial production in space, as plasma was generated on board Forgestar-1 for the first time. This is a decisive step for gas-phase-based crystal growth, which is required for the production of high-performance semiconductor materials.

The plasma that was generated in Earth orbit is not a miracle per se, as it has already been demonstrated on the ISS under laboratory conditions. The difference: the ForgeStar-1 mission shows that the demanding conditions for crystal growth can be produced autonomously and without a crew on a commercial platform in orbit for the first time.

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Crystal Nuclei from Orbit

Space Forge is pursuing a hybrid production approach with the project: the aim is not to manufacture complete semiconductor wafers in space, but to grow high-purity crystal nuclei under the conditions prevailing there. These are then to be processed into larger single crystals on Earth.

Image of the first plasma generated on ForgeStar-1.(Image: Star Forge) — Image of the first plasma generated on ForgeStar-1.
(Image: Star Forge)

Why is breeding in space potentially advantageous? This is due to the physical conditions. In microgravity, there are fewer convection effects and impurities, among other things, which leads to higher structural quality of the seeds. This in turn has an effect on the reliability of the subsequent components. Materials with wide and ultra-wide band gaps are used, including gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), aluminum nitride (AlN) and diamond.

First Processes

Forgestar-1 is currently being operated to collect long-term data on the behavior of plasma in microgravity. The results are to be incorporated into the planning of future orbital production platforms. In the long term, the company is aiming for a scalable infrastructure that combines orbital seed cultivation and earthbound processing for higher-performance semiconductor materials with higher yield and lower defect density. (sb)

Die Ladung der Transporter-14-Mission von SpaceX im Orbit. (Bild: SpaceX/Space Forge)

Tests des 3D-Druckers während der Parabelflugkampagne der ESA an Bord des "Vomit Comet". (Bild: University of Glasgow)

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