[Reading Science] The Magic of Weightlessness... The Era of Space Factories Begins

Pharmaceutical Company 'Boryung' Attracts Attention with Investment in Commercial Space Station
Microgravity Environment Favorable for Advanced Manufacturing Technology Research
Active Utilization of Space Orbital Environments Worldwide
Korea Remains Untapped, Long Way to Go in Manned Space Technology

"Why have space powers like the United States and China invested enormous amounts of money to build space stations?"

Recently, the domestic pharmaceutical company Boryung's 'Oedo' attracted attention. It invested about $60 million (approximately 78.6 billion KRW) in the construction of a commercial space station by the U.S. private space development company Axiom Space. Of course, the United States spends more than 3.7 trillion KRW annually on the maintenance costs of the International Space Station (ISS). China also completed its independent space station Tiangong (天宮·Tiangong) last November after investing trillions of won. What exactly is so valuable about space stations? It is not just a forward base for space development but a way to secure a large share of the future economy’s 'space manufacturing industry.' On Earth, bio-pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, medicine, and advanced manufacturing are difficult or costly due to gravity, but in the microgravity state of a space station, these can be done much more easily and cheaply. The world is entering the era of the 'space factory.'

Why are space stations necessary?

Factories and laboratories on Earth are shackled by gravity. For example, in the case of semiconductors, the maximum wafer size on Earth is limited to 300 mm due to gravity during production. However, in a space station, wafers can be grown up to 500 mm. Larger wafer sizes increase semiconductor yield, significantly boosting profits. Manufacturing special semiconductors also becomes easier. Materials that are difficult to synthesize on Earth due to density differences can be perfectly mixed in space. For instance, aluminum and lead can theoretically be mixed, but on Earth, the large difference in specific gravity makes this impossible. In space, however, they mix perfectly at the molecular level. This enables the production of special-performance semiconductors using such special materials.

The same applies to bio and new drug development fields. Crystals that are difficult to produce on Earth due to gravity grow much better in microgravity. Crystals refer to pure lumps of specific substances, and they grow faster in zero gravity. If an insulin production plant for diabetes treatment is established in space, productivity can increase several times. Stem cell cultivation also speeds up, facilitating research. Artificial organ cultivation is also a major research item on space stations. Although it can be done on Earth, the soft nature of human tissues requires support structures. Parts in contact do not grow, and sagging and compression occur due to weight, presenting fundamental limitations. In the microgravity state of a space station, artificial organs float freely without support and grow evenly. Using the same principle, 3D printing with bio-ink made from proteins to produce artificial organs such as cartilage and bladder becomes much easier. Chemical reactions and cell cultivation also occur perfectly without gravity-induced limitations, making it an ideal environment for new drug research and development (R&D).

In fact, NASA sent the BioFabrication Facility to the ISS in 2019 to conduct organ production experiments, and Russia conducted cartilage tissue production experiments in 2020. In the private sector, attempts are being made to produce wine, clean meat, and coffee. China has installed more than 20 small laboratories on the Tiangong space station and is conducting over 1,000 scientific experiments over 10 years. They have installed all kinds of advanced scientific equipment such as centrifuges, low-temperature chambers capable of maintaining -80 degrees Celsius, high-temperature heaters, multiple lasers, and optical atomic clocks. Notably, China plans to actively utilize the space station for advanced semiconductor development, which faces limitations in domestic R&D.

"Self-sufficiency of all materials in space"

It also provides an optimal environment for technology and medical research necessary for deep space exploration and other space development. NASA is intensively studying the effects of microgravity, radiation, and cosmic rays on the human body during long-term space stays on the ISS in preparation for Mars exploration, which can take up to three years. The incidence of cancer increases by more than 30% during long-term space stays, and various side effects such as vision deterioration, bone density loss, and heart disease have been discovered, requiring prevention and treatment. Particularly, extremely fine cosmic particles that penetrate everything are fatal. They break DNA strands inside cells, causing mutations or cancer. There are currently no clear protective measures or treatments. Moreover, NASA is conducting research over the next 10 years on self-assembly (or 3D printing) phenomena and related material properties at all levels, from 3D metal printing to atomic-level nucleation, to achieve self-sufficiency of all materials needed in space.

Research on plants, animals, and life sciences is also a major field. Various studies are being conducted by raising mice, amphibians, and fish on space stations to analyze changes in blood, bones, proteins, and behavior. In particular, plants with gravity-sensing mechanisms are being cultivated in microgravity environments to study productivity expansion and biofuel production.

Space factories are emerging

To actively utilize these advantages in space, projects for building commercial space stations as well as small unmanned space factories are being vigorously attempted. The concept is to launch small spacecraft equipped with automated facilities to conduct specific manufacturing and research experiments in Earth's low orbit microgravity environment, then return to harvest the results ? a 'spacecraft + factory' concept. Globally, efforts to expand the use of space stations and other space environments are active. The U.S. initially planned to operate the ISS only until 2024 but decided to extend its operation until 2030 and has entrusted private companies such as Axiom Space and Blue Origin with building commercial space stations to replace it later. The Lunar Gateway, an intermediate stopover orbiting the Moon, will also be launched. Following China, a Japanese private company is planning to launch its own space station in the 2030s with a construction cost of 300 to 500 billion yen.

In fact, space is already an advanced product R&D forward base. Treatments for cancer, Alzheimer's, and muscular dystrophy, as well as fabric softeners, have been developed on the ISS and are being marketed. A U.S. space infrastructure company sold 2 grams of space-produced crystals in July last year. These are high-value optical crystals worth $2 million per kilogram. They are used in image sensors widely applied in communication optical fibers and high-power laser transmitters. By around 2040, the scale of space economic activities, including space stations, is expected to reach $1 trillion.

Soyoun Lee, the first Korean astronaut to board the International Space Station (ISS) in 2008. Archive photo.

South Korea still remains an unexplored area in utilizing microgravity and other space orbital environments. The only internationally certified achievement is research on space food, which was consumed by Korea's first astronaut Dr. So-yeon Yi when she boarded the ISS in 2008 and was used in the Russian manned Mars exploration simulation test (Mars 500). However, the 4th Space Development Promotion Plan, implemented this year, aims to develop manned space technology and expand space science and basic science research in space by 2045.

Choi Ki-hyuk, chief researcher of the Satellite and Space Exploration System Design Department at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), said, "We need to see why space powers spend so much money building space stations," adding, "Tourism lasts only a day or two, and space development must be profitable, with space stations at the core." He emphasized, "When meeting NASA officials, they say they have completed all research in physics, mechanical engineering, and electronic engineering in space, but there is still much to do in biomedical fields and long-term astronaut stay research. The next-generation growth engine after semiconductors and electronics is the bio field, and since Korea has the best human and material infrastructure in bio and medical fields, it has great advantages in space medicine research."