Space Forge has received a £10 million ($13.4 million) boost thanks to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) General Support Technology Programme, funded through the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) investment in ESA. The £10 million will be used to develop its reusable fold-out heat shield, Pridwen, with the aim of making it simpler and cheaper to return materials manufactured in space. Space Forge announced this news, June 11.
Pridwen is designed to deploy during re-entry, creating a larger protective surface that helps shield the spacecraft from extreme heat and pressure while making the system lighter, easier to recover and more practical to use again. The mission will help bring Pridwen to full commercial readiness, enabling frequent and reliable return of cargo from space which is critical to the growth of the in-space manufacturing industry. The successful demonstration of Pridwen will provide proof of concept for reliable return and recovery, paving the way for commercial in-space manufacturing services and the routine delivery of high-value materials from orbit to customers on Earth.
This announcement follows the success of Space Forge’s first orbital mission, The Forge Awakens, during which the company successfully generated plasma aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite. The achievement marked what Space Forge claims is a world-first for commercial in-space manufacturing and demonstrated that the conditions required to produce next-generation semiconductor materials can be created and controlled in LEO.
“Today’s investment shows our commitment to keeping Britain at the forefront of the fast-growing space sector. Space Forge is developing technology that could make bringing materials back from space more like a regular delivery service than a one-off mission. We are proud to back a British company leading the way in a new area of space technology,” Liz Lloyd, UK Space Minister, said in a statement.
