On 9th February, The UK Space Agency signed contracts with three UK companies at the forefront of in-orbit manufacturing. The contracts will enable them to research manufacturing on orbit advanced materials that are difficult, expensive or impossible to make on Earth. The creation of the materials in question is made easier because of factors such as: microgravity, natural vacuum, and extreme temperatures.
Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: “Space isn’t just about exploration, it’s about innovation that improves everyday lives here on Earth. These pioneering studies show how British ingenuity is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible – leveraging space conditions to innovate the development of life-saving medicines and advanced materials that will power future technologies. By investing in in-orbit manufacturing, we’re backing the jobs and industries of tomorrow while cementing the UK’s position as a global leader in the space economy.”
Three companies
BioOrbit’s ‘PHARM’ study will design an end-to-end mission to manufacture drugs in microgravity to combat cancer. Doing this in space helps more perfect protein crystals to be formed. The company is working with regulatory bodies to ensure commercial viability.
Space Forge – The ‘2Forge2Furious’ study will demonstrate in orbit commercial production of semiconductor seed crystals. The goal being to improve efficiency and power density in high-power electronic devices such as: data centres, quantum computing, EV charging, and telecommunications.
OrbiSky – The ‘SkyYield’ study will develop a system to manufacture ZBLAN fluoride glass (a heavy metal fluoride glass used for advanced optical fibers) in space, which offers dramatically superior performance to conventional optical fibres with 100 times lower signal loss. This will mainly improve advanced telecommunications networks and medical imaging systems.
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “By backing these innovative companies to explore manufacturing in orbit, we’re positioning the UK to capture new markets and bring tangible benefits back to Earth—from better medicines to more efficient electronics. These studies demonstrate the government’s ambition to drive forward one of the most exciting frontiers of space technology.”
