A Cardiff-based in-space manufacturing firm has secured £10 million to bring a new heat shield system to commercial readiness.
Space Forge is pioneering in-space manufacturing, developing semiconductors in microgravity where materials can be made with fewer defects and greater uniformity – potentially improving performance in technologies such as telecoms, computing, defence and clean energy.
The company will receive £10 million, funded through an increase to the UK Space Agency's investment in the European Space Agency's General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), which will support a mission to design, build, launch and return ‘Pridwen', a new deployable heat shield system designed to protect spacecraft returning to Earth.
Traditional heat shields are usually fixed, rigid structures or tiles attached to a spacecraft, which can add weight, take up space and be difficult to reuse. Pridwen is designed to deploy during re-entry, creating a larger protective surface that helps shield the spacecraft from extreme heat and pressure while making the system lighter, easier to recover and more practical to use again.
The mission will help bring Pridwen to full commercial readiness, enabling frequent and reliable return of payloads from space which is critical to the growth of the in-space manufacturing industry.
Joshua Western, CEO & Co-founder, Space Forge, said:
“We're thrilled to be awarded the GSTP funding to help bring Pridwen to commercial readiness. This proprietary technology is key to enabling the safe return of our materials to Earth, which in turn unlocks the future of in-space manufacturing.
“With our recent ForgeStar-1 mission we proved we can create the right manufacturing environment for next-generation semiconductor materials in space. With this newly funded mission we can prove our ability to deliver products to market.”
Space Minister Liz Lloyd said:
“Today's government-funded investment in Space Forge shows our commitment to keeping Britain at the forefront of the fast-growing space sector. Space Forge is developing technology that could revolutionise in-space manufacturing.
“Our wider investment is also helping more British space businesses grow, bring in private backing and create high-skilled jobs across the country. That is how we build a stronger space sector and keep the UK one of the best places in the world to start and scale a space business.”
