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Joshua Western

Joshua Western

CEO & Co-Founder, Space Forge

Appears in 1 story

Notable Quotes

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.

Stories

The race to build factories in orbit

New Capabilities

Leading UK's first orbital manufacturing company

On New Year's Eve 2025, a microwave-sized British satellite generated plasma at 1,000°C while orbiting Earth at 17,000 mph. Space Forge's ForgeStar-1 became the first commercial free-flying spacecraft to create the extreme conditions needed to grow semiconductor crystals—materials currently impossible to manufacture at scale on Earth. The milestone caps a breakout year for orbital manufacturing: Varda launched four capsules in 2025 alone, Redwire spun out a pharmaceutical venture with its first licensing deal, and China announced plans to challenge U.S. dominance. The shift from decades of research to actual production is accelerating.

Updated Dec 31, 2025