The Space Age Becomes Reality... 'Orbital Factories' to Be Established [Im Ju-hyung's Tech Talk]

Growing Space Economy... Attempts at 'Space Manufacturing'
Launching and Retrieving Satellite Factories in Earth's Orbit
Space Industry Grows 55% in Just 5 Years... Annual Value 530 Trillion Won
Rocket Launch Costs Reduced 7 Times Since SpaceX Emergence

Concept image of 'Fojistar' by Spaceforge, a space startup aiming to realize the world's first 'artificial satellite factory' technology. / Photo by Spaceforge

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The 'space economy' is showing signs of activation. Beyond connecting satellite internet networks or launching scientific probes, attempts are being made to build 'orbital factories' in space. Space, which is virtually free from the influence of gravity and is a vacuum, is ideal for controlling extremely sensitive materials that are difficult to handle on Earth. In this way, the space industry holds various possibilities that were once unimaginable on the ground.

According to reports from UK local media such as 'The Guardian' and 'Business Live' on the 21st (local time), Spaceforge, a space development company headquartered in the UK, recently raised $10.2 million (approximately 12.1 billion KRW) in Series A funding (the first major investment stage for a startup). This is the largest amount in the history of European space-related venture companies.

Their plan to create a kind of 'orbital factory' by placing a small manufacturing facility inside a satellite orbiting the Earth has attracted the attention of various public and private investors, including the UK government, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the space-specialized venture capital 'SpaceFund.'

Operation process of the Posistar satellite. It completes the manufacturing process while orbiting the Earth and is then recovered back to the Earth's surface. / Photo by SpacePosi

Spaceforge's product 'ForgeStar,' scheduled for two launches next year, is a satellite about the size of a large oven, equipped with small manufacturing facilities such as robotic arms inside.

ForgeStar is planned to be launched by rocket and settled in a space orbit about 480 km above the Earth's surface. After deploying solar panels to receive power, it will operate the manufacturing process for about six months, then return to Earth with the finished products stored inside. ForgeStar is especially intended to be used for manufacturing semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and alloys.

What are the benefits of manufacturing goods in space rather than on Earth? The Earth we live on is affected by various environmental factors. Gravity, humidity, temperature, air quality, and even airborne dust vary depending on the time.

Most materials can withstand these Earth environments, but some extremely sensitive proteins, metals, and semiconductors cannot endure them. For example, messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines developed by pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna melt and disappear quickly at room temperature, so they must always be stored in ultra-low temperature freezing facilities. In contrast, space has almost no gravity, is a vacuum, and has very low temperatures.

Moderna's messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) platform COVID-19 vaccine. It must be stored in ultra-low temperature freezing facilities, not at room temperature. / Photo by Yonhap News

Because of this, factories handling special materials have prepared by creating vacuum chambers or ultra-low temperature facilities that artificially mimic space environments. However, these facilities are costly, consume a lot of power, and are difficult to maintain. Spaceforge aims to experiment with the idea of simply launching factories into space as an alternative.

Regarding this, Josh Western, co-founder of Spaceforge, emphasized the value of 'space manufacturing' in an interview with The Guardian, saying, "Alloys made in space can achieve levels of purity and quality that are unimaginable on Earth."

Technology companies seeking solutions to problems impossible on Earth, like Spaceforge, are increasing. This trend is also reflected in the explosively growing scale of the space industry.

Starlink internet satellites orbiting the Earth. / Photo by SpaceX, captured from YouTube

According to the 'Space Report' published by the nonprofit space organization 'Space Foundation' in the United States, the global space economy reached $447 billion (approximately 530 trillion KRW) last year. This is about a 55% increase compared to 2015, just five years ago.

The scale is vast, and the types are diverse. They include satellite positioning systems (GPS) already used in cars and smartphones, satellite TV services, and maritime and remote area monitoring services via satellites.

Recently, competition has intensified with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, promoting the satellite internet constellation 'Starlink,' and the UK-based 'OneWeb' using similar technology, accelerating growth. Spaceforge's space manufacturing is also a facet of the increasingly expanding space economy ecosystem.

The most important catalyst for the activation of the space industry is the 'launch vehicle innovation.' Over the past decades, the manufacturing and operating costs of rockets launching satellites beyond Earth have significantly decreased, enabling space-based companies to operate more actively.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 reusable rocket during launch (above) and the Prime rocket motor of the space launch vehicle developer 'Obex' / Photo by Yonhap News, captured from Obex homepage

A representative example of launch vehicle innovation is Musk's 'SpaceX.' It commercialized reusable rockets for the first time in the world, dramatically reducing rocket launch costs.

According to a contribution by Wendy Whitman-Cobb, professor of political science at Oxford, published in the popular media 'The Conversation,' from 1970 to 2000, the cost of launching space rockets averaged $18,500 (about 21.95 million KRW) per kilogram. However, after the commercialization of SpaceX's Falcon 9 reusable rocket, this cost dropped to $2,750 (about 3.26 million KRW), reducing the cost of sending satellites to space by nearly seven times.

Recently, thanks to technological advances, attempts are being made to mass-produce rockets using 3D printers. For example, the Scottish rocket startup 'Orbex' unveiled 3D printing technology last month that can produce rocket motors and fuel pumps in a single process. Instead of engineers welding parts or connecting pipes, a laser 3D printer 'draws' the rocket engine's body.

The Korean launch vehicle Nuri was launched on October 21 at the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do. / Photo by Yonhap News

Not only traditional space technology powers like the United States and the United Kingdom but also other countries are entering the space race. South Korea also launched the 'Korean Launch Vehicle' Nuri on October 21, and except for the early shutdown of the third-stage engine, it successfully completed almost all stages. Additionally, countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Brazil, and Iran are attempting rocket development or independent satellite technology development.

Thanks to increasingly fierce competition and advanced automation technology, the cost of building and launching rockets is expected to continue decreasing. As this trend continues, the space economy is likely to become even more vibrant.