Until now, only such experiments have taken place aboard the International Space Station.
In-orbit manufacturing start up Space Forge has created its first plasma in orbit aboard the ForgeStar 1 satellite; this is a world first and a major step toward the company's ambition for making novel semiconductors in space that may revolutionize future electronic technologies.
UK-based Space Forge launched its pioneering ForgeStar 1 craft in June 2025 and has been bringing it to life since. In December 2025, the microwave oven sized satellite fired up its miniature furnace for the first time and generated plasma a stream of gas as hot as 1,832°F (1,000°C). On future missions, such plasma will help SpaceForge forge super-efficient, out of this world materials in weightlessness.
"Generating plasma on orbit represents a fundamental shift, it proves that the essential environment for advanced crystal growth can be achieved on a dedicated commercial satellite opening the door to a completely new manufacturing frontier," said Joshua Western, CEO and co founder of Space Forge.
SpaceForge, established in 2018, has similar plans for its satellite. It intends to make a set of new semiconductors in the microgravity of space using a similar furnace. This would be the first time such an experiment would take place outside the International Space Station.
"The plasma demo proves that it is now possible to establish the harsh environment required for gas phase crystal growth, a foundation of semiconductor manufacturing, on an orbiting, autonomous platform," the company wrote in a statement. "The success marks ForgeStar 1 as the first commercial semiconductor manufacturing platform ever flown on orbit as a fully standalone, 'free flying' space device."
Due to the absence of the effect of gravity, the atoms of semiconductors produced in space are aligned to such a degree of precision that semiconductors produced in space demonstrate much better performance than those produced on Earth. Space Forge predicts that, thanks to greater efficiency of semiconductors, it is possible to cut the energy consumption of electronic devices up to 60 percent.
These semiconductors would use rare elements such as gallium nitride, silicon carbide, and/or diamond. These might find applications in future telecommunication technology, electronics, and supercomputers.
However, the present ForgeStar 1 will only test the equipment in the orbital factory. But the satellite will de orbit and disintegrate in the atmosphere by the end of this year. But prior to its mission completion, it will carry out more experiments in order to study the plasma in microgravity conditions so that the engineers of the company can design the future missions.
It has raised an impressive series A investment of £22.6 million ($30.5 million) in the previous year and this is going to help the company develop the next satellite named ForgeStar 2 and the first production of semiconductors by the company in space. It is going to be equipped with an innovative heat shield for the return of the spacecraft to Earth.
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