SpaceForge’s Pridwen heat shield — SpaceForge/ESA

SpaceForge Might Just Revolutionise The Space Industry

Reuseable Satellites are nearly a reality

Will Lockett
Predict
Published in
5 min readMay 25, 2023

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SpaceX has revolutionised the space industry with its reusable rockets. They have slashed the cost to get to orbit, enabled a vast increase in launches, and in turn, kicked started a new era of space expansion. Well, SpaceFroge is planning to do the same, but with satellites. Their Pridwen heat shield and Fielder catching vessel will enable small CubeSats to safely de-orbit to Earth. The plan is to use this technology to unlock zero-gravity space-based manufacturing that promises to revolutionise pharmaceuticals, electronics and advanced material science. But how?

You may have never heard of space manufacturing, but it is one of the most promising technologies of this new space era. You see, in orbit, there is practically no gravity (or at least, a satellite feels no gravity), there is access to a near-perfect vacuum, and temperatures can be extreme, from near absolute zero to baking hot. While these conditions aren’t hostile to life, they are perfect for unique and power manufacturing processes.

The lack of gravity means that liquids don’t cause buoyancy. This is ideal for alloy mixing, as lighter metals properly mix with heavier metals and form cohesive crystals. This means alloy metal objects made in a zero-gravity environment…

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Will Lockett
Will Lockett

Written by Will Lockett

Independent journalist covering global politics, climate change and technology. Get articles early at www.planetearthandbeyond.co