Materials manufacturing for Voyager space station

UK startup Space Forge has signed a deal with Voyager Space to explore possibilities in space-based research and power materials manufacturing.

Space Forge,in Wales which is backed by the NATO Investment Fund, will develop its ForgeStar factory for advanced materials and biomedical applications in Voyager’s space station development. This will make products for both terrestrial and use in orbit. Material development includes ultra-pure gallium nitride for high performance power and RF chips.

The collaboration will explore integrating the ForgeStar flexible returnable spacecraft developed by Space Forge with Voyager’s orbital capabilities. Future projects will include developing next generation return capability interfaces and collaborating on funding applications for commercial customers.

Voyager has delivered over 1,300 customer payloads for experiments to the International Space Station across 60 launches. It is working with Airbus, MDA Space and Mitsubishi Space on the Starlab space station for NASA. This is planned for launch in 2028 before the ISS is decommissioned in 2030.

“Voyager’s goal is to advance the capabilities of commercial space exploration, and these plans with Space Forge mark a significant step toward achieving this,” said Frank Morgan, Chief Operating Officer and interim President of Exploration at Voyager Space. “This work will allow us to explore new frontiers in biomedicine and material science, unlocking the potential of space to deliver groundbreaking solutions not possible on Earth.”

“This collaboration is a game-changer for commercial space,” said Michelle Flemming, President of Space Forge Inc. “Combining Space Forge’s cutting-edge ForgeStar technology with Voyager’s expertise in commercial space station infrastructure and services creates a unique opportunity to deliver impactful, sustainable solutions.”

In-space manufacturing provides lower costs, faster production times, and reduced environmental impacts. The ForgeStar-0 prototype orbital factory was part of the failed Virgin Orbit mission in 2022, while ForgeStar-1 is planned for launch in 2025. It is working with space system developer Northup Grumman.