Jessica Frick, CEO of Astral Materials, is developing furnaces that will use microgravity to grow high-value materials in space that could be used in medicine, semiconductors and beyond.
The manufacturing method will be used to grow crystals that can be used for pharmaceutical applications and to make high-quality silicon, which is used in electronics on Earth.
China recently announced it had created a new alloy in space that is lighter and stronger than comparable materials made on Earth, while Florida-based Redwire has been experimenting with manufacturing techniques on the International Space Station.
Lowering the cost of getting materials into space and developing ways of returning items to Earth is behind the new space manufacturing rush, with companies like SpaceX making rockets more affordable and new companies exploring the potential of returning capsules.
Varda Space Industries has already launched three missions to trial the technique, growing crystals of an antiviral drug and honing its return-to-Earth technique, while AstroForge will seek to mine an asteroid for usable materials.
