Tag: In-Space Manufacturing
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Exolaunch Books First SpaceX Starfall Earth-Return Mission for 2029
Exolaunch has signed a contract with SpaceX to serve as payload integrator for a Starfall mission targeted to launch aboard Starship no earlier than 2029, marking the German company’s first commitment to Starship and its first mission involving the return of customer payloads from orbit. Announced on September 21, the agreement expands Exolaunch beyond conventional…
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Exolaunch Books Customer Payloads on Starship-Launched Starfall Reentry Mission
German launch integrator Exolaunch announced Sept. 22 that it will aggregate and integrate customer payloads for a SpaceX Starfall reentry mission scheduled to launch aboard Starship no earlier than 2029. The agreement represents both Exolaunch’s first commitment to a Starship mission and its first move into services designed to return commercial payloads from orbit. Exolaunch…
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Besxar Secures 12 Falcon 9 Flights to Develop Orbital Semiconductor Factory
Besxar, a space manufacturing startup founded by former OpenAI employee Ashley Pilipiszyn, has reached an agreement with SpaceX to prototype an orbital semiconductor factory across 12 Falcon 9 flights. The company aims to manufacture critical precursor materials for advanced semiconductors in the vacuum of space and return them to Earth, targeting a market currently served…
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Besxar Space Flies Semiconductor Fabships on Falcon 9
Does Besxar Space’s Falcon 9 Semiconductor Test Mark a New In-Space Manufacturing Model? A Washington, D.C.-based startup is using the sub-orbital arc of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster — not orbital insertion — as its first manufacturing platform. Two Clipper Class Fabships from Besxar Space Industries flew on the Starlink 10-50 mission that lifted off…
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SpaceX Debuts Starfall Reentry Vehicle for Microgravity Research and In-Space Manufacturing
SpaceX has conducted the first demonstration flight of Starfall, a new reentry spacecraft designed to support microgravity research, in-space manufacturing, and the return of payloads from orbit. The Starfall demonstration mission launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, marking the first public flight of the vehicle.…
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Voyager Technologies Wins U.S. Patent for Microgravity Crystal Manufacturing
Voyager Technologies has secured a U.S. government patent for a process that manufactures high-performance crystals in microgravity, a technology the company says could underpin future optical communications and advanced computing systems. The company said this week it plans to fly the patented manufacturing process to the International Space Station later this spring to demonstrate the…