Besxar is building an orbital semiconductor factory, one SpaceX rocket at a time
If you want to manufacture in space—and bring the products back again—there’s a limited set of options: Wait to go to the International Space Station, or partner with a handful of start-ups launching spacecraft that spend time in orbit before they return to Earth. But the vehicle that goes to space and comes back to […]
Besxar, a startup founded by former OpenAI employee Ashley Pilipiszyn, is teaming up with SpaceX to construct an orbital semiconductor factory. The startup aims to manufacture key components for advanced semiconductors in space using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosters. These boosters have made 163 round-trip flights in the past year alone and have flown over 100 flights this year, making them the most frequently used vehicle for trips to and from space.
The startup's first two "fabships" - small containers designed to carry and test semiconductor materials in orbit - flew on a July Starlink mission. These successful flights demonstrate that the canisters can withstand the launch, protect wafer samples from contamination, and expose them to the vacuum of space. The company's wafers were found to have the cleanest surface and the least amount of particulate matter compared to terrestrial wafers, which is a significant advantage for scaling up the production.
Pilipiszyn believes that by leveraging the space environment, Besxar can create higher-quality semiconductors at a lower cost than manufacturing them on Earth. The company's current goal is to send larger fabships, like those that will eventually be used on SpaceX's upcoming Starship rocket, to space. Once the company starts producing qualification samples, they plan to supply leading chipmakers with the wafers used to make advanced chips found in data centers, robots, and electric vehicles.
At present, other companies are also exploring the use of space for semiconductor production, such as United Semiconductors and Space Forge. However, all of these companies face the same challenge: limited ability to return a meaningful volume of product. With SpaceX's Starship rocket becoming operational, Besxar expects to scale up to hundreds and eventually thousands of wafers per fab, focusing on their core manufacturing and getting their products back to Earth as quickly as possible.
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