How Space Factories Are Becoming A Reality

Space offers a unique environment for research and development because its higher levels of radiation, microgravity and near vacuum-less state allow companies to come up with new manufacturing methods or materials that are not possible on Earth. It's a fledgling market that analysts and several startups are predicting will take off. The market for materials manufactured in space could reach $10 billion by 2030, according to estimates from McKinsey & Co. In-space manufacturing is not entirely new. The International Space Station has hosted several experiments from academics, government agencies and commercial customers for things such as growing human tissue, making purer semiconductors and developing new or better drugs. But access to the ISS has always been competitive and interest continues to grow. A number of space startups see an opportunity to fill this gap for in-space manufacturing demand using compact space factories.

CNBC spoke with two such companies, California-based Varda Space Industries and UK-based Space Forge, to see how the startups hope to make manufacturing in space a profitable business.

Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction
02:23 — Varda Space Industries
08:20 — Space Forge
12:45 — What's next?

Produced, Shot and Edited by: Magdalena Petrova
Camera: Andrew Evers
Animation: Jason Reginato
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Additional Footage: Getty Images, NASA, Varda Space Industries,
Space Forge, Rocket Lab

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How Space Factories Are Becoming A Reality

[RidiculousRocketry]

I started watching this with the intention of mocking it or poking holes in it. After watching and doing additional research I was surprised at the progress and sound basis for the business. Also very impressed with CEO Will Bruey.

[CassidyListon]

Imagine how good Heisenberg Blue will be when it's made in space.

[cafer]

The European continent desperately needs a reusable rocket company, a lot of academics in Europe do space stuff and their only way up is Rocket lab or SpaceX.

[suyashjoshi]

Kudos to these people making futuristic bets, space science & tech is the next big revolution!

[cinemaipswich]

They made glass beads that were "bubble jetted" in a vacuum, under micro-gravity. Having and exact size bead on a glass slide is very handy for microscopes. Millions of them in a small vial.

[shmookins]

Humans are awesome.
I can't imagine what the world will be like in 2170 when so much of our current nascent projects and industries will be fully fledged by then.

[tycooperaow]

This would be game changing for humanity

[codingportfolio]

Our highschool rocketry team just took a tour of the SpaceX California facilities. It is most definitely a factory. They are pumping out rockets like iPhones.

[ambition]

0:01: 🚀 In-space manufacturing is a growing market with potential for significant growth in the future.
2:50: 🚀 Varda is using a spacecraft made of three main components to autonomously manipulate materials in space for protein crystallization, which can improve drug formulations and delivery.
5:37: 💼 Varda aims to revolutionize drug manufacturing by conducting it in space, offering potential financial returns and retaining patent rights.
8:08: 🚀 Space Forge aims to manufacture more efficient semiconductors using materials like gallium nitride and silicon carbide.
10:45: 🚀 Space Forge plans to use in-space manufacturing to produce semiconductors and other materials, with the potential to disrupt multiple industries.
13:22: 💼 Varda and Space Forge are working on manufacturing in space, but face challenges in reentry and FDA approval, and don't expect initial profit from manufacturing.
Recap by Tammy AI

[FreudianSlipDK]

I used to do IT work for the local sheriff.
They straight up said that the red tape to get a relight ticket thrown out was so convoluted and deliberately obtuse that even for the officers it wasn't and option to get it thrown out.
The quote I heard from the guy in charge of the program was "i would rather pay your ticket than go through that process".
Never underestimate the greed of far off corporations

[RTL_CSQ]

This must be an error at 1:53, saying that the number of patents referring to microgravity has increased "tenfold per year between 2010 and 2020". Google patents lists 193 patents containing "microgravity" filed in 2010, which would imply over 1 trillion such patents were filed this year.

[TyDyck]

I want more coverage and content like this

[itsallaguesswork]

so just using space to prevent a drug from entering public domain, that’s innovative

[PetrGladkikh]

11:51 material for ~900k semiconductor devices per mission. And mission costs ... how much? Say $20M. That is tens of dollars per device in some of the required materials only, not the cost of production. Those must be some _very_ high margin devices...

[TheyCallMePDub]

A lot of these founders seem so young! Inspiring stuff

[johnlacey]

0:50 “near vacuum-less state”...??? Come on CNBC, get with it!

[jtgd]

Imagine space station based meant for food, medicine, manufacturing and resource refining, all from space stations constructing it in space.

It’s the future!

[gotskilsudont]

This is hilarious because I am writting a scifi story that does just that. EPIC that I was literaly writing it this morning that exact detail. Honestly just to be able to weld without equipement is freaking huge

[Wildboy]

weird that this story ignores the 1 leader in the space, Redwire... redwire has this same crystal manufacturing facility on the ISS right now, and a 3d printer making cardiac material for a human heart, robotic arms, roll out solar panels, and much more

[wyntoncolter]

This is very fascinating to me simply because of the shortages.