Sierra Space announced new agreements with Astral Materials and Space Forge to explore collaboration related to semiconductor technology, the Dream Chaser® spaceplane, and space station technology. (Photo: Sierra Space)
Sierra Space signed agreements with Astral Materials and Space Forge to advance manufacturing in microgravity.
LOUISVILLE, Colo.—Commercial space company and defense tech prime contractor Sierra Space recently signed two new agreements to “further the advancement of manufacturing in the microgravity environments of Low Earth Orbit (LEO),” the company said in a release.
Under new memoranda of understanding (MOU), Sierra Space will collaborate with California-based Astral Materials and Florida-based Space Forge Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of U.K.-based Space Forge Limited, on a wide range of semiconductor technologies.
Astral Materials leverages the microgravity environment of space to grow ultra-high quality semiconductor crystals for advanced chip technologies. Space Forge harnesses free-flying manufacturing facilities to produce next-generation materials for commercial industries, national security, and research.
By working together with these new partners, Sierra Space will pursue its goal of creating opportunities to scale the commercial space industry through use of new technologies, ultimately bolstering the new LEO economy.
“At Sierra Space, our mission is to create [an] LEO economy that benefits life on Earth, and these new agreements bring us one step closer,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. “To create a strong space economy, we must harness microgravity, and to do that, it’s important to build relationships with commercial companies that have the top expertise in their respective technological fields. That’s how new solutions are developed, and that’s how we reach a common goal.”
The MOU with Silicon Valley-based Astral Materials outlines collaboration on various projects, including those related to Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® spaceplane. They could include payload logistics for orbital missions, as well as input on design, development, installation, and integration of advanced materials and semiconductor manufacturing payloads, according to the release.
Astral Materials may also work together with Sierra Space to provide input on design and operations aspects of Sierra Space’s space station technology, the release stated.
“Astral Materials manufactures materials that cannot be made on Earth,” said Astral Materials CEO and Co-Founder Jessica Frick, Ph.D., in the release. “Our technology utilizes microgravity as a manufacturing tool that can only be accessed in space. Our philosophy is to partner with leaders in the space industry, like Sierra Space, who are already solving the infrastructure challenges involved in establishing a robust in-space economy. This partnership with Sierra Space is a fantastic opportunity that allows us to focus on our strength: microgravity crystal growth.”
Sierra Space and Space Forge plan to collaborate on research and development, as well as proof-of-concept missions related to semiconductor materials, components, and related technologies to enable in-space manufacturing. The MOU with Space Forge also includes potential for input on Sierra Space’s future space stations, in terms of manufacturing facility design and operations concepts, the release said.
“Part of our mission is to ensure U.S. economic and national security through sustainable and repeatable semiconductor materials research and manufacturing,” said Space Forge Inc. President Michelle Flemming, in the release. “Collaborating with Sierra Space, a forward leaning space-industry leader with a successful track record, will make that a reality.”