Made in Space, Used on Earth: Manufacturing Satellite ForgeStar-1 in Orbit

Manufacturing in orbit Made in Space, Used on Earth: Manufacturing Satellite ForgeStar-1 in Orbit

2025-07-11 By Susanne Braun | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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There are many companies exploring and aiming to realize manufacturing under space conditions. Less often is the plan to bring the manufactured materials or solutions back to Earth. The British project ForgeStar pursues this goal.

The payload of SpaceX's Transporter-14 mission in orbit.(Image: SpaceX/Space Forge) — The payload of SpaceX's Transporter-14 mission in orbit.
(Image: SpaceX/Space Forge)

Manufacturing under space conditions is a topic that engages many companies worldwide, with American companies leading the way so far. However, the plan to safely return materials or products manufactured in space back to Earth is pursued less often. The British project ForgeStar-1 is focused precisely on this goal.

On June 27, 2025, the leaders of Space Forge announced the successful launch of ForgeStar-1, the first British spacecraft sent into orbit to produce new materials under the unique conditions of space. Particularly exciting is Space Forge's plan to validate its proprietary return technology to safely bring the materials produced in space back to Earth. This is a concept that has been relatively rare in other space manufacturing projects, which mostly focus on manufacturing under space conditions for space applications.

Successful Launch

The satellite was developed by the Space Forge team over more than four years in Cardiff and became the first British satellite to receive a space manufacturing license from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. After being integrated into SpaceX's Transporter-14 mission, the satellite successfully reached orbit, and shortly after launch, it established contact with the Space Forge Mission Operations Centre in Cardiff.

A comprehensive health check of the satellite is now underway before it moves into the next ambitious phase of the mission: activating the manufacturing platform in orbit. This in-orbit manufacturing demonstration aims to showcase how advanced materials can be produced under the unique conditions of space. Microgravity and the near-pure vacuum of low Earth orbit offer untapped advantages that are unavailable on Earth, paving the way for scalable, reusable manufacturing in space.

Once the ForgeStar-1 platform is fully operational, it will enable Space Forge to test manufacturing techniques for next-generation semiconductors. In the later phase of the mission, the focus will shift to testing technologies for the satellite's return, including an innovative heat shield and aerodynamic control techniques for reentry into Earth's atmosphere. However, ForgeStar-1 will not return to Earth but will be intentionally destroyed to demonstrate that the satellite would completely burn up in the event of a return system failure. Future satellites, however, are intended to safely bring the materials manufactured in orbit back to Earth. (sb)

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