Speaker
Description
The opportunity for in-space manufacturing is significant. The potential for in-space manufacturing to create new materials, composites, and alloys by leveraging the conditions of the space environment is high. As is, the ability to use in-space manufacturing technologies for future exploration and In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) needs.
However, in-space manufacturing is limited due to the lack of available infrastructure to experiment and scale activities, with only the International Space Station routinely available. At the same time, retrieving experiments and products from space can be a time consuming, and often difficult, procedure.
In order to address the limits in current space infrastructure, Space Forge is developing the ForgeStar platform. The ForgeStar is a remotely operated small-scale returnable vehicle for microgravity experimentation and in-space manufacturing activities. Underpinning this technology is a novel return from space methodology that does not use an ablative heat capsule. The ForgeStar's re-entry mechanisms enable a significantly more gentle return from orbit, enabling full platform recovery and reuse. This return technology can be adapted for in-space manufacturing missions for return to Earth, landing on other planetary bodies, and other ISRU applications. Moreover, opposed to 'design for demise' applications to end of life disposal, Space Forge's re-entry approach can be deployed for debris mitigation, enabling sustainable debris removal without dispersion in Earth's atmosphere.
The ForgeStar platform offers researchers the opportunity to capitalise on the space environment in manners not compatible with the ISS for both experimentation and quality of space environment achieved. It also offers commercial space companies the ability to scale in-space manufacturing activities for applications useful on Earth, such as ZBLAN fibre optic cable and pharmaceutical research.
The development of the ForgeStar is supported by ESA GSTP and other elements.
