COMPANY PROFILE / SPACE INDUSTRY
Space Forge
Growing the "seed" crystals of semiconductors in space and finishing them on the ground: an in-orbit manufacturing start-up from Wales
Space Forge is a British company that aims to grow semiconductor material (crystals) in orbit, where gravity is almost absent, and bring those crystals back to Earth to be finished into volume products. It launched its first manufacturing satellite, ForgeStar-1, in June 2025, and in December of that year announced that it had generated plasma in orbit (the state needed to grow crystals from a gas). The part that returns space-made material to the ground, however, is still in development. This profile uses only the company's website and press releases, announcements from the UK Government (GOV.UK) and the UK company register (Companies House), and sets out what has been done and what is still to come.
- Space Forge in 30 seconds, and where it stands in the space industry
- The logo and how the name is written
- Where the company sits in the space industry
- Scale of the company
- Resources committed to space
- What it has done so far
- What comes next
- What the company is aiming for in space
- Map of partnerships in the space industry
- Technology, products and services
- The risks this company carries
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. Space Forge in 30 seconds, and where it stands in the space industry
Space Forge Inc. (U.S.)A UK company (number 11646188) and a Delaware corporation
(grows semiconductor materials in orbit)Also develops a heat shield for the return to Earth
(manufacturing satellite)ForgeStar-1 launched in June 2025
(more than 100 times)Announced 31 December 2025; a page dated 25 March 2026 says more than 100
Making semiconductor material in space has two hard parts: making it, and bringing it back. Space Forge says it demonstrated the first, creating the conditions to grow crystals in orbit, with ForgeStar-1 at the end of 2025 Sourced. The second, bringing the product back to the ground, depends on a shield called Pridwen, which has so far been tested for deployment only on a zero-gravity parabolic flight; we could not confirm a success in orbit from official material Not yet confirmed. ForgeStar-1 itself was designed as a one-way demonstrator that does not come back. So what can be confirmed today is the stage of having made the space manufacturing environment work, not the stage where a space-made material has become a product.
2. The logo and how the name is written
A note on names: the UK entity is Space Forge Limited (trading as Space Forge) and the U.S. entity is Space Forge Inc. The spacecraft are called ForgeStar, and the heat shield is called Pridwen (the name of King Arthur's shield in legend). The logo is the white version shown in the header of the official site, so it sits on a dark panel.
Official site: https://www.spaceforge.com/3. Where the company sits in the space industry
4. Scale of the company
Space Forge is a privately held UK company, and we could not find its revenue or profit in official material. What we could confirm is the funding the company and the UK Government have announced, plus information on staff and sites (checked on 17 October 2026) Sourced.
| Item | What we found | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Founding and founders | Established in 2018 (company's account; incorporated on 29 October 2018 per the register). Co-founded by CEO Joshua Western and CTO Andrew Bacon | Sourced |
| Employees | "More than 70, working across Europe and the USA" (about-us page; no date shown) | Sourced |
| Sites | Cardiff (headquarters and mission operations centre), the National Microgravity Research Centre inside Swansea University, an office on Santa Maria in the Azores, Portugal (May 2025), and an office on Florida's Space Coast (September 2024) | Sourced |
| Revenue and profit | Not disclosed (nothing in official material) | Not disclosed |
| Listing | Not listed. A UK private limited company (status "Active" on the register) | Sourced |
| Funding and public money | Announced | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | 5 December 2021 | US$ 10.2 million | Company announcement. The company calls it Europe's largest seed round for a space company |
| UK Space Agency (UKSA) Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund | 23 November 2023 | about £7.9 million | Total project value £13 million (including matched contributions). To build the National Microgravity Research Centre |
| Series A | 14 May 2025 | £22.6 million (about US$30 million) | Led by the NATO Innovation Fund, with World Fund, NSSIF, the British Business Bank and others |
| UKSA study contract | 9 February 2026 | £300,000 | A study of producing semiconductor seed crystals commercially in orbit (UK Government announcement) |
| Money via the European Space Agency's technology programme (GSTP) | 10 June 2026 | £10 million | For a mission to design, build, launch and recover Pridwen. A UK Government announcement; we could not confirm how much has been disbursed |
The amounts above are what the company or the UK Government announced. Public money such as the £10 million describes future spending at the time of the announcement, and the official material does not show how much has actually been paid Not yet confirmed. The company's releases also say that "research suggests" space-made materials could cut CO2 emissions in key infrastructure by 75%. The releases give no source for that research, so this article does not use it. No valuation appears in official announcements, and press-report figures are not used.
5. Resources committed to space
| Type of resource | What we found | Type |
|---|---|---|
| People | More than 70 (Europe and the U.S.). Space is the whole business, so there is no separate breakdown. Not disclosed | Sourced |
| Money | Private funding (seed and Series A) and public money (UKSA and, via the ESA GSTP, the UK Government). The split of R&D and capital spending is not disclosed. The Companies House filing index shows share allotments (May and July) and the registration of a charge (2 October) in 2026, but we did not check their amounts or contents | Sourced |
| Facilities | The National Microgravity Research Centre (NMRC) inside Swansea University's CISM (a semiconductor materials centre). Its reactors were switched on in 2026, and ground-based work began on silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) | Sourced |
| Outside investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestments | None mentioned in official material | Could not confirm |
| Public bodies: UK | A licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (13 March 2025). UK Space Agency funding. Two Innovate UK (the UK's innovation funding body) projects, completed in spring 2026 (amounts not given) | Sourced |
| Public bodies: U.S. | Assessed "Awardable" on the DARPA ERIS Marketplace (30 September 2026). This is not a contract award. Texas Space Commission funding supports the Intuitive Machines partnership (amount not given) | Sourced |
Status of the main spacecraft and missions
| Spacecraft or effort | What it is (company's account) | Record and status (with dates) | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| ForgeStar-0 | A small satellite, the first the company built, designed and made entirely in Wales | Flown on the UK's first domestic launch (Spaceport Cornwall) in January 2023. The rocket did not reach orbit (company's account; the cause is not discussed here) | Never operated |
| ForgeStar-1 | An in-orbit manufacturing demonstrator carrying an in-house crystal-growth chamber. About 11 times larger than ForgeStar-0 | CAA licence (13 March 2025), then launched on the Transporter-14 rideshare in June 2025 (announced 27 June), then plasma generated in December 2025 (announced 31 December). A page dated 25 March 2026 reports more than 100 plasma strikes | Operated (demonstration) |
| How ForgeStar-1 ends | A one-way craft that does not return. Planned to end in a controlled atmospheric demise (burn-up) | The plan is to monitor its natural orbital decay until it ends (announced 31 December 2025) | Plan |
| Pridwen (deployable heat shield) | A shield folded for launch and opened during reentry. The company says it sheds heat by radiation rather than by ablation (wearing away) | Deployment tested on a zero-gravity parabolic flight in October 2025 (with ZeroG). We could not confirm a result of its deployment in orbit on ForgeStar-1. On 10 June 2026 the UK Government announced £10 million for a recovery mission to ready it for commercial use | In development |
| ForgeStar-2 (returnable) | A next-generation craft that can be brought back (its role as described in the Series A release) | We could not find a launch date | Not yet confirmed |
| Flight on Intuitive Machines' Zephyr | A plan to carry Space Forge's semiconductor reactor on the recovery vehicle in Intuitive Machines' Earth Reentry Program | Partnership announced 10 July 2025. We could not find a schedule | Not yet confirmed |
In a June 2025 article, the company's CEO writes that the first build of ForgeStar-1 did not go to plan. Suppliers collapsed, some key components arrived with failure rates above 80%, and the craft failed qualification testing, so it was rebuilt from the platform up and the launch slot was rescheduled Sourced. This is the company's own account, and this article has not checked the causes. We cite it because it is primary evidence that building new space hardware often means revising schedules.
The company explains that in microgravity convection (fluid moving because of temperature differences) and sedimentation are suppressed, so gas mixing and temperature are more uniform and the growth of grain boundaries (the seams between crystal grains) can be suppressed Sourced. It adds that the ultra-high vacuum of space can keep contamination by nitrogen and similar elements very low, and offers an outlook that crystals "several orders of magnitude cleaner than those produced terrestrially" may be possible Not yet confirmed. The target is seed crystals (small, high-quality crystals from which larger ones are grown) of wide-bandgap semiconductors (semiconductors that tolerate high voltage and heat, such as gallium nitride, silicon carbide, aluminium nitride and diamond). The company says it will bring the seeds back and scale them up with ground equipment in a "hybrid" approach. What has not yet been confirmed is whether crystals actually grown in space are better than those grown on the ground. The company itself describes the plasma strikes on ForgeStar-1 as a first step in testing how the advantages translate into real materials performance. For the basics, see our explainers on space manufacturing and microgravity, and on radiation and electronic parts.
6. What it has done so far
| When | What happened | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Space Forge founded | Started in Wales, UK |
| December 2021 | Raised US$10.2 million in a seed round | The company calls it Europe's largest seed round for a space company |
| January 2023 | ForgeStar-0 flew on the UK's first domestic launch. The rocket did not reach orbit | The first satellite never operated (company's account) |
| April 2023 | Announced the start of U.S. operations. Agreement with Southern Launch to explore return to Australia's Koonibba Test Range | A search for places to return craft to the ground |
| 12 September 2023 | Collaboration agreement with Northrop Grumman UK to explore in-space manufacturing | Advice, training and materials testing. No results are reported |
| 23 November 2023 | Won about £7.9 million from the UKSA | Funding to build the National Microgravity Research Centre |
| 18 September 2024 | The U.S. entity opened an office in Florida | A base for U.S. operations |
| October to December 2024 | MOUs with Voyager Space (29 October) and Sierra Space (5 December) | Exploring links with commercial space stations and others (MOUs) |
| 13 March 2025 | The UK CAA licensed the launch of ForgeStar-1 | The company describes it as the UK's first licence for in-orbit manufacturing |
| 14 May 2025 | Raised £22.6 million in a Series A | Led by the NATO Innovation Fund |
| June 2025 | ForgeStar-1 launched on Transporter-14. Announced on 27 June | Contact with the mission operations centre in Cardiff confirmed |
| 10 July and 23 September 2025 | Partnership with Intuitive Machines (July) and an MoU with United Semiconductors (September) | Building a U.S. return vehicle and supply chain |
| 23 October 2025 | Pridwen deployment tested on a parabolic flight | Data towards deployment in orbit |
| 31 December 2025 | Announced that plasma had been generated in orbit | The company says the environment for crystal growth was created on an autonomous satellite |
| March 2026 | The National Microgravity Research Centre opened in Swansea (UK Government, 6 March). A supplier announcement on a ForgeStar-1 part (18 March) | The ground-side base is in place |
| 10 June 2026 | The UK Government announced £10 million for a Pridwen recovery mission | Public support for commercialising the return step |
| 17 August 2026 | Master research agreement with the Texas A&M University System | A first step towards the company's first U.S. site for semiconductor materials manufacturing and processing |
| 30 September 2026 | Assessed "Awardable" on the DARPA ERIS Marketplace | The company says it opens a route to U.S. government customers (not a contract) |
| 14 October 2026 | Reported its first year of ground-based semiconductor materials work | Joint projects with Microchip Technology and others completed in spring 2026 |
7. What comes next
using Pridwen£10 million announced by the UK Government (10 June 2026). Launch timing not found
ZephyrAnnounced July 2025. Schedule not found
is availablePer the website's materials table (price on request). Quantum and optical grades are in development
The company's long-term concept is "hybrid manufacturing": return space-grown seed crystals to the ground and finish them into volume products with ground equipment Sourced. The step this needs, demonstrating a returnable craft and heat shield, still lies ahead Not yet confirmed.
None of the following appears in official material Not yet confirmed.
Revenue and profit, R&D spending / the result of Pridwen's deployment on ForgeStar-1 / the launch date of a returnable craft / the schedule for flying on Intuitive Machines' vehicle / quality data on space-grown crystals (compared with ground-grown) / the specific terms behind the MoUs (Voyager Space, Sierra Space, United Semiconductors) / the disbursement status of UK Government money. This article does not discuss share prices or valuation.
8. What the company is aiming for in space
This chapter includes points the company has not stated directly. They are offered as inferences that the primary material supports, with the evidence.
| What we read from it | Primary evidence | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Its end goal is to link space-grown seed crystals to volume production on the ground | The December 2025 announcement describes combining orbital crystal growth with terrestrial processing, and the NMRC is presented as the ground-side base | Sourced |
| Near-term revenue is centred on ground-based materials work and supply | No returnable craft has yet flown, while in 2026 it switched on ground reactors and lists thermal diamond as "Available". Its joint projects were also carried out on the ground | Inference |
| It is strengthening its U.S. business | The U.S. entity (Florida), the Texas A&M contract, the Intuitive Machines partnership and the DARPA ERIS assessment form a run of U.S.-facing moves | Inference |
| It leans heavily on UK government money and policy | UKSA funding, money via the ESA GSTP and a research contract have been announced, and the CAA licence was a milestone for the business | Inference |
| The biggest unproven step is returning material to the ground | The UK Government announcement describes the £10 million as readying Pridwen for commercial use. ForgeStar-1 is a one-way craft that does not return | Inference |
In the UK Government announcement (10 June 2026), the company's CEO says: "With our recent ForgeStar-1 mission we proved we can create the right manufacturing environment for next-generation semiconductor materials in space; with this newly funded mission we can prove our ability to deliver products to market" (a paraphrase of the statement) Sourced. Read the other way round, this suggests the company itself sees that it has not yet reached the stage of delivering a product to market Not yet confirmed. And since the shield is at the centre of that mission, we think proving the return step will be the next dividing line for the whole business.
9. Map of partnerships in the space industry
10. Technology, products and services
| Offering | What it is (company's account) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| ForgeStar (manufacturing satellite) | A craft aiming to be "the world's first returnable and reusable in-space manufacturing platform". Features high power, high thermal control and flexible mission length. The company says it can serve materials growth, pharmaceutical and space-control uses | Sourced |
| In-orbit crystal-growth tool | A chemical vapour deposition (CVD) tool. Compact, low in power use and autonomous. Designed to work on free flyers, the ISS and commercial space stations | Sourced |
| Pridwen (deployable heat shield) | Folded for launch and opened during reentry. The company says it sheds heat by radiation and acts like a parachute to help the craft land | Not yet confirmed |
| Materials offered on the ground | Thermal diamond (available, price on request; for data centres, wireless infrastructure and radar), optical and photonic-grade diamond (in development), quantum-grade diamond (in development), gallium nitride (concept phase) and aluminium nitride (next-generation power) | Sourced |
| Ground-based materials development | Thin-film work on SiC, GaN and Ga₂O₃. With Microchip Technology, a package and heat-removal design; with Helia Photonics and Bay Photonics, a prototype of gallium nitride on diamond (completed spring 2026) | Sourced |
| Mission software | Software such as "Aether", which tracks orbits and predicts reentry positions | Sourced |
There are two broad ways to protect a craft from reentry heat. One is an ablator, a material that chars and wears away bit by bit, carrying heat off (like Varda's C-PICA). The other is a high-temperature material that radiates heat outward. The company says Pridwen is the latter, and that it is different from the ablation of standard heat shields Sourced. Because it does not wear away, it could in principle be reused, but the durability of a high-temperature material and the reliability of a folded mechanism that must open every time become the challenges. Official material does not say which material it uses or what temperature it tolerates, so we could not confirm those points. For heat-shield basics, see our explainers on thermal protection systems and spacecraft thermal control.
11. The risks this company carries
| Risk | What it involves | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The return to the ground is unproven | ForgeStar-1 is a one-way craft. We found no result for Pridwen's deployment in orbit, and no launch time for a returnable craft | Sourced |
| The advantage of space-grown crystals is unproven | The company offers an outlook of crystals "several orders of magnitude cleaner" than on the ground, but no quality data on actual crystals has been published. ForgeStar-1's result is at the stage of "the environment was created" | Sourced |
| Early failures and delays | The rocket carrying ForgeStar-0 did not reach orbit, and the company says the first build of ForgeStar-1 failed qualification and was rebuilt with a later launch slot | Sourced |
| Reliance on public funding and policy | UK Government money and licences have marked the business's milestones, so budget or policy changes could affect it | Inference |
| A thin supply chain | The company itself says the supply chain it needs does not fully exist in the UK, so it makes more in house | Sourced |
| Scope of licensing | The CAA licence covers ForgeStar-1. A returnable craft may need a separate licence or review (this article has not checked the details) | Not yet confirmed |
| Finances cannot be checked from outside | Revenue, costs and valuation are undisclosed. The figures in the Companies House accounts were not checked for this article | Not yet confirmed |
| MoUs do not always become contracts | The agreements with Voyager Space, Sierra Space and United Semiconductors are at the MoU stage | Sourced |
12. Glossary
- In-space manufacturing (ISAM)
- In-space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing: repairing, assembling and making things in space.
- Microgravity
- An environment where gravity seems almost absent. In orbit it arises because everything is in continuous free fall.
- Seed crystal
- A small, high-quality crystal from which a larger crystal is grown.
- Wide-bandgap semiconductor
- A semiconductor that tolerates high voltage and heat, such as gallium nitride, silicon carbide or diamond.
- CVD
- Chemical vapour deposition. A way of growing crystals or films on a surface from a gas.
- Plasma
- A gas that has been ionised by electricity. It is used when growing crystals from a gas.
- Ablator
- A heat-shield material that chars and wears away bit by bit, carrying heat off.
- Rideshare launch
- Several satellites share one rocket.
- MoU
- A memorandum of understanding. A document showing intent to work together; unlike a contract it does not necessarily commit anyone to carry out work or pay.
- GSTP
- The European Space Agency's General Support Technology Programme, which helps technologies mature.
- UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
- One of the bodies that license the launch and operation of spacecraft in the UK.
- DARPA ERIS
- A procurement route run by the U.S. research agency DARPA. "Awardable" means assessed as eligible for an award; it is not an award.
13. References
- Space Forge Official website, home page (self-description). https://www.spaceforge.com/
- Space Forge Official website, "About Us" (founding, founders, more than 70 staff, sites). https://www.spaceforge.com/about-us
- Space Forge Official website, "Semiconductors" (target materials and development status table). https://www.spaceforge.com/semiconductors
- Space Forge Official website, "In-Space Growth" (why grow materials in microgravity; the crystal-growth tool). https://www.spaceforge.com/in-space-growth
- Space Forge Official website, "ForgeStar" (the returnable, reusable manufacturing platform). https://www.spaceforge.com/forgestar
- Space Forge Official website, ForgeStar-1 mission page (dated 25 March 2026; more than 100 plasma strikes). https://www.spaceforge.com/missions/forgestar-1
- Space Forge Official website, ForgeStar-0 mission page (January 2023; the rocket did not reach orbit). https://www.spaceforge.com/missions/forgestar-0
- Space Forge Official website, "Space Forge USA" (U.S. entity, sites, leadership, DARPA ERIS). https://www.spaceforge.com/space-forge-usa
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge - Europe's fastest growing space tech startup - raises record-breaking $10.2M seed round" (5 December 2021). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-europes-fastest-growing-space-tech-startup-raises-record-breaking-seed-round
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge secures record-breaking Series A funding to revolutionise industrial materials using space" (14 May 2025). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-secures-record-breaking-series-a-funding-to-revolutionise-industrial-materials-using-space
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge Secures £7.9 Million UK Space Agency Funding to Build Pioneering National Microgravity Research Centre" (23 November 2023). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-secures-ps7-9-million-uk-space-agency-funding-to-build-pioneering-national-microgravity-research-centre
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge secures licence for ForgeStar-1: The first UK licence for In-Space Advanced Manufacturing" (13 March 2025; a UK Civil Aviation Authority licence). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-secures-licence-for-forgestar-1-the-first-uk-licence-for-in-space-advanced-manufacturing
- Space Forge Article "The Forge Awakens: The mission so far" (17 June 2025; the CEO's account of the build). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/the-forge-awakens-the-mission-so-far
- Space Forge Press release "The Forge Awakens: Space Forge successfully launches ForgeStar-1" (27 June 2025). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/the-forge-awakens-space-forge-successfully-launches-forgestar-1-the-uks-first-in-space-manufacturing-satellite
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge ignites a new industrial era: delivering world-first capability for orbital semiconductor manufacturing" (31 December 2025). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-ignites-a-new-industrial-era-delivering-world-first-capability-for-orbital-semiconductor-manufacturing
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge's ForgeStar-1 mission demonstrates UK supply chain strength in world-first plasma achievement" (18 March 2026). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forges-forgestar-1-mission-demonstrates-uk-supply-chain-strength-in-world-first-plasma-achievement
- Space Forge Press release "Pridwen heat shield deploys in zero gravity: Space Forge and ZeroG mark step towards scalable space manufacturing" (23 October 2025). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/pridwen-heat-shield-deploys-in-zero-gravity-space-forge-and-zerog-mark-step-towards-scalable-space-manufacturing
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge and Intuitive Machines Partner to Advance U.S. Space-Based Semiconductor Manufacturing" (10 July 2025). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-and-intuitive-machines-partner-to-advance-u-s-space-based-semiconductor-manufacturing
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge Inc. and United Semiconductors LLC Partner to Develop the Supply Chain for Space-Grown Semiconductor Materials" (23 September 2025; an MoU). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-inc-and-united-semiconductors-llc-partner-to-develop-the-supply-chain
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge Inc. and Voyager Space Unite to Revolutionize Commercial In-Space Manufacturing" (29 October 2024; an MOU). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-inc-and-voyager-space-unite-to-revolutionize-commercial-in-space-manufacturing
- Space Forge Press release "Sierra Space Signs Agreements to Advance Manufacturing in Microgravity" (5 December 2024; an MOU). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/sierra-space-signs-agreements-to-advance-manufacturing-in-microgravity
- Space Forge Press release "Northrop Grumman UK and Space Forge to explore in-space manufacturing" (12 September 2023; a collaboration agreement). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/northrop-grumman-uk-and-space-forge-to-explore-in-space-manufacturing
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge expands into the US market and signs groundbreaking agreement with Southern Launch" (19 April 2023). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-expands-into-us-market-signs-agreement-with-southern-launch
- Space Forge Press release "Building US capacity in advanced semiconductor materials: Space Forge selects The Texas A&M University System as manufacturing base" (17 August 2026). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/building-us-capacity-in-advanced-semiconductor-materials-space-forge-selects-texas-am-university-system-as-manufacturing-base
- Space Forge Article "Forged on Earth: Space Forge's first year of terrestrial manufacturing" (14 October 2026). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/forged-on-earth-space-forges-first-year-of-terrestrial-manufacturing
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge assessed 'Awardable' for DARPA ERIS Marketplace" (30 September 2026). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-assessed-awardable-for-darpa-eris-marketplace
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge on the Space Coast: Space Forge Inc. Expands into Florida" (18 September 2024). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-on-the-space-coast-space-forge-inc-expands-into-florida
- Space Forge Press release "Space Forge launches EU Expansion with new Portugal office" (29 May 2025). https://www.spaceforge.com/press-releases/space-forge-launches-eu-expansion-with-new-portugal-office
- UK Government (GOV.UK) "Joint Statement from the UK Space Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Regulatory Innovation Office and the Civil Aviation Authority" (5 March 2026; says ForgeStar 1 was licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority and launched in June 2025). https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-from-the-uk-space-agency-the-medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency-the-regulatory-innovation-office-and-the-civil-avia
- UK Government (GOV.UK) "New studies for manufacturing advanced materials in orbit" (9 February 2026; £300,000 for a Space Forge study). https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-studies-for-manufacturing-advanced-materials-in-orbit
- UK Government (GOV.UK) "Made in Space: UK funding boosts breakthrough space technologies" (10 June 2026; £10 million for the Pridwen mission). https://www.gov.uk/government/news/made-in-space-uk-funding-boosts-breakthrough-space-technologies
- UK Government (GOV.UK) "National Microgravity Research Centre opens in Swansea" (6 March 2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-microgravity-research-centre-opens-in-swansea
- Companies House (UK) Company information for SPACE FORGE LIMITED (company number 11646188): incorporated 29 October 2018, registered office in Cardiff, filing history. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11646188
14. Claim-to-source audit
Last updated: 17 October 2026 / Troy Technical
The facts in this article rest on Space Forge's website and official press releases, UK Government (GOV.UK) announcements and Companies House registration data. Market-research estimates and figures that rest on press reports alone (including valuations) are not used. This field moves quickly, so the status of spacecraft and missions is as of the checking date (17 October 2026). Passages marked "Inference" are our own reading of the primary material and are not statements by the company. Phrases such as "world first" and "UK first" are claims by the company or the bodies concerned. This article is neither investment nor medical advice.